Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will tussle in Friday's all-American US Open semi-final, seeking a coveted maiden final berth.
Fritz defeated favourite Alexander Zverev in Tuesday's last-eight match to end his quarter-final hoodoo, and he seeks to take it a step further against an opponent he has dominated over their rivalry.
Match preview
© Imago
Although Fritz was 0-4 in Grand Slam quarter-finals heading into Tuesday's match against Zverev, the 26-year-old ended that losing record in a four-set 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over the fourth seed.
The upshot of that triumph pits the American No. 1 player against Tiafoe in Friday's all-American semi-final, the third on the men's tour since 2000 after Andre Agassi faced Pete Sampras in Australia in 2000 before Agassi played Robby Ginepri at Flushing Meadows five years later.
Fritz's achievement is doubly commendable when considering that the 12th seed had not gone past the third round in New York until last year, and the reward for his consistency in reaching consecutive last-eight matches in Queens is a debut Slam semi-final match.
The 26-year-old, who made the last eight Down Under and at Wimbledon, is the oldest American in the Open Era to reach a maiden last-four match at the US Open, and he seeks another top showing on Friday to beat Tiafoe in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Although he heads into Friday's match on a six-match winning streak against his opponent, Fritz cannot take a motivated Big Foe for granted and look one step ahead to a maiden major final appearance.
© Imago
Tiafoe's consistency at his home Slam is unmistakable, underscored by a semi-final berth two years back, a quarter-final appearance in 2023 and another last-four match in this year's edition.
Despite opening a two-set-to-one lead over Grigor Dimitrov, the Bulgarian's seeming retirement due to a leg injury meant fans inside Arthur Ashe left a little disappointed that a thrilling quarter-final match ended prematurely.
The 26-year-old has followed a quarter-final run in Atlanta with a last-four appearance in Washington and a loss to Jannik Sinner in the title match in Cincinnati before the final Grand Slam of the year.
Tiafoe's form and a greater improvement in dealing with adversity on court since David Witt joined his team has elevated the two-time US Open semi-finalist's game, and he aims for a debut appearance in the title match after losing at this stage to Carlos Alcaraz in 2022.
Having snapped a losing run against Ben Shelton in the third round, an inspired Big Foe now seeks to end his losing run against Fritz to become the first American since Andy Roddick (Wimbledon 2009) to participate in a Grand Slam final.
Tournament so far
Taylor Fritz:
First round: vs. Camilo Ugo Carabelli 7-5 6-1 6-2
Second round: vs. Matteo Berrettini 6-3 7-6[1] 6-1
Third round: vs. Francisco Comesana 6-3 6-4 6-2
Round of 16: vs. Casper Ruud 3-6 6-4 6-3 6-2
Quarter-final: vs. Alexander Zverev 7-6[2], 3-6, 6-4, 7-6[3]
Frances Tiafoe:
First round: vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4 6-3 4-6 7-5
Second round: vs. Alexander Shevchenko 6-4 6-1 1-0 ret.
Third round: vs. Ben Shelton 4-6 7-5 6-7[5] 6-4 6-3
Round of 16: vs. Alexei Popyrin 6-4 7-6 [3] 2-6 6-3
Quarter-final: vs. Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 6-7[5] 6-3 4-1 ret.
Head To Head
Indian Wells (2016) - First round: Tiafoe 6-2 2-6 6-3
Winston-Salem (2016) - Round of 64: Fritz 6-1 6-4
Paris Masters (2019) - Second round: Fritz 7-6(6) 3-6 6-4
Australian Open (2022) - Second round: Fritz 6-4 6-3 7-6(5)
Canadian Open (2022) - Third round: Fritz 5-7 6-1 6-4
Tokyo (2022) - Final: Fritz 7-6(3) 7-6(2)
Acapulco (2023) - Quarter-final: Fritz 6-3 6-4
Tiafoe defeated Fritz in the pair's first-ever meeting on the ATP Tour, but the latter has since notched six victories on the bounce to lead their head-to-head 6-1.
All their seven previous match-ups have been on hard courts, with the 12th seed's straight-set win two years ago in Australia their only encounter at a Grand Slam.
Their last two matches have seen Fritz beat Tiafoe in two sets, notably denying the World No. 20 a title in Tokyo two years ago.
The higher-ranked American has had a superior 2024, clinching two titles and eighth overall to Tiafoe's none, while having the edge in the win-loss category before the last leading event of the year — 38-16 for the 12th-ranked player and 26-19 for the three-time tour-level champion.
We say: Tiafoe to win in five sets
Having had success in matches ending prematurely at the final Major of 2024, Tiafoe arrives into Friday's semi-final marginally fresher than the first-time semi-finalist.
His previous experience at this stage, momentum before the tournament and form during his run to another last-four match should see an enthused Big Foe beat Fritz in the all-American battle and snap his losing run against his countryman.
