Last year, Coco Gauff claimed the US Open title. This year, another American woman, Jessica Pegula, has reached the final to lift the title. However, for the men’s section, things have been on a dry end. It has been 21 years since an American man has won the US Open. Andy Roddick in 2003. However, in 2024, there is a unique script at play, as Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz are set for an All-American clash in the semifinals. Could an American man break the jinx and win the title this year? American tennis player Christopher Eubanks offers his perspective.

ABC News shared a snippet of Eubanks’ interview on their Instagram handle on September 5th. The interviewer questioned the tennis player on the importance of an American man in the finals. She asked, “I wanna start with history here because an American man has not won the US Open since 2003. And now we are guaranteed to have an American man in the finals. How big of a moment is this for US tennis?”

While drawing a comparison with the women’s tennis US Open scenario, Eubanks said, “Oh, this is a huge moment for US tennis. Women have been doing a great job, kind of holding that mantle and keeping it alive at various Grand Slam champions from Sloane Stephens(2017) to Coco Gauff last year. Obviously, the Williams sisters have dominated throughout.” The drought of Grand Slam in men’s tennis is palpable, and throughout the years, they have been questioned, “Who’s gonna be the next American men’s champion? Who’s gonna be the next to make the final?” 

Though the latter question would be answered today, the former would need to wait for two more days. As Eubanks said, “And you know we are gonna see two of the guys who have been holding that mantle really strongly for us. Frances and Taylor, two good friends going to battle. It’s going to be a fun match on Friday night.” What about Chris’ Prediction?

Although Eubanks has only reached the second round in the past two US Opens (2022, 2023) and was eliminated in the first round this year, he has faced both Tiafoe and Fritz in previous matches. The host asked Eubanks to predict the winner, but he declined and instead discussed similarities between the two players.

“Both guys like to dictate their game with their forehands. they also have rock solid backhands, the thing i think that sets them apart, Taylor Fritz is one of the best serves in tennis right now and Frances Tiafoe has some of the best variety…So it’s going to be a little bit of a chess match”.

Moreover, Fritz has garnered a reputation as a strong contender, while Tiafoe has been recognized as the dark horse of the tournament. While Fritz made it to his first semi-finals at the Grand Slam, thus lifting the 47-YO family curse, Tiafoe repeated his 2022 performance at the US Open. However, they might be opponent on the tennis court. But off the court, the two share a friendly bond.

Taylor Fritz or Frances Tiafoe’s way of dealing with their All-American SFs clash

Both Taylor Fritz and Tiafoe battled strong opponents to make it to the semifinals. However, as the big moment approaches, Fritz has opted to keep his “ego in check”! While Tiafoe opted for a confident approach as he thinks that “no one is unbeatable” anymore. The teenage friends who are well are of each other’s gameplay and weird habits. Once, Tiafoe even described Fritz as an “odd cat” due to his tennis schedule.

He said, “When we were kids, I definitely didn’t think Taylor would achieve what he has.” Why would Fritz think so? He further detailed the reason for his assumption: “He only played a couple of times a week at a friend’s house and went to a normal high school. He’s changed his body like unbelievable!” – he remarked.

Though the two friends have pushed each other towards greatness since their childhood days, who would take the crown at the US Open 2024? Can Taylor Fritz turn things in his favor with a subdued and focused approach? Or Tiafoe would carry on the mantle to the finals?