Taylor Fritz surged with a six-game run against a fading and frustrated Frances Tiafoe to come out on top 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in an all-American matchup at the U.S. Open on Friday night to reach his first Grand Slam final.
The No. 12-seeded Fritz’s momentum-shift-filled victory against No. 20 Tiafoe — a pair of 26-year-olds who are close pals and have known each other since they were playing in tournaments for kids younger than 14 — earned a showdown against No. 1 Jannik Sinner for the championship on Sunday.
Fritz will be the first U.S. man to appear in a major final since Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009. And if he can get past Sinner, Fritz would become the first U.S. man to win a Slam trophy since Roddick got his 21 years ago at the U.S. Open.
From 4-all in the fourth set Friday, Fritz seized control as Tiafoe’s strokes and usual confidence betrayed him. After a double-fault handed over a break to make it 4-0 in the fifth, more than three hours into the proceedings, Tiafoe chucked his racket. Fritz repaid the favor by double-faulting to end the next game, but broke right back and soon it was over.
Sinner, a 23-year-old from Italy exonerated in a doping case less than three weeks ago, finished off a 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over No. 25 Jack Draper earlier Friday that featured simultaneous treatment of both competitors by trainers deep in the 1 1/2-hour second set.
“It was a very physical match, as we see,” said Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January. “I just tried to stay there mentally.”
He got his left wrist massaged after falling during a point he managed to win; Draper needed medical attention after vomiting twice in a game with the temperature in the high 70s and the humidity above 60%. During that break in the action, a vacuum was used to clear the ground behind the baseline and finish the cleaning job Draper, a 22-year-old from Britain, tried to do himself by wiping his, um, mess with a towel.
There was none of that sort of drama away from the actual play in Tiafoe vs. Fritz, and the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd might have been forgiven for not knowing for whom to cheer in the first semifinal in New York between two American men in 19 years.
American tennis player Taylor Fritz turned pro at 17 and medaled at the Paris Olympics. Here are five things to know about the young tennis star.
Coco Gauff, the 20-year-old American tennis star, has parted ways with her coach Brad Gilbert after a 14-month partnership. The split comes just two weeks after
Emma Raducanu is set for a significant rankings jump after a gutsy opening round win over Peyton Stearns at the Korea Open. World No 70 Raducanu prevailed 7-6(4
A tennis player turned up to a match with his suitcase after dashing between two tournaments in less than 24 hours.Ryan Seggerman lost his doubles final at the
Imagine playing tennis for fun, only to catch the attention of the coach of a world no. 6 tennis player! That’s what happened to the American politician and e