NEW YORK — Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz set up an all-American semifinal at the US Open with victories Tuesday, guaranteeing the United States a man in the title match at the country’s Grand Slam tournament for the first time in 18 years.
The 20th-seeded Tiafoe made it to the final four at Flushing Meadows for the second time in three years when his quarterfinal opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, stopped playing because of an injury in the fourth set. Tiafoe was leading 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 4-1 with midnight approaching when Dimitrov retired from the match, providing an anticlimactic ending to a contest that was not necessarily of the highest quality.
“It’s not the way I want to get through,” Tiafoe said, “but obviously happy to get through. Another semifinal here. Incredible.”
Just one glimpse of the sort of uneven play from both: Dimitrov held three set points in the tiebreaker at 6-3. On the first, he double-faulted. On the second, he double-faulted again. On the third, Tiafoe double-faulted, handing over the set.
Hours earlier, Fritz advanced in a far more satisfying way. After years of climbing the rankings, of becoming the top American man in tennis, of coming close to making a breakthrough at one of his sport’s four most important events, Fritz finally came through at home, beating No. 4 Alexander Zverev 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) to reach a major semifinal for the first time.
The 12th-seeded Fritz, a 26-year-old from California, entered the day with an 0-4 record in Slam quarterfinals.
On Friday, he will take on longtime friend Tiafoe, a 26-year-old from Maryland who lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the 2022 US Open semifinals.
“It’s the biggest match of me and Taylor’s life. We’ve known each other for so long. I’ve been playing against him since [14-and-under tournaments],” Tiafoe said during an on-court interview. “So to be able to play him here … is going to be awesome. I know we’re two Americans, but I hope you’re all with me come Friday.”
Fritz holds a 6-1 head-to-head edge over Tiafoe as pros.
“I definitely wasn’t thinking he was going to do what he’s done,” Tiafoe said. “He’s changed his body unbelievably. He’s just really talented. He was like a part-time player. He played a couple times a week. And he’ll tell you, he went to a normal high school. He was like a normal kid while we’re out there grinding. Then he started putting more into it.
“As we got closer to it, and seeing how committed he is and how much he…
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