The U.S. Open will be buzzing Friday when two Americans—Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz—meet in a Grand Slam semifinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
The match ensures that an American player will reach the finals of the prestigious tournament for the first time in 18 years. A U.S. player has not won the U.S. Open Tennis Championships since Andy Roddick in 2003. Roddick was also the last American to play in a U.S. Open final when he lost to Roger Federer in 2006.
“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 the 14s. So to be able to play him here ... is going to be awesome,” Tiafoe said during an on-court interview after his quarterfinal win. “I know we’re two Americans, but I hope you all are with me come Friday.”
Tiafoe, the 20th seed, advanced when Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov withdrew in the fourth set of the quarterfinals because of an injury. Tiafoe was leading 6–3, 6–7 (5), 6–3, 4–1 at the time and reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open for the second time in three years.
Fritz, the 12th seed, advanced to the semifinals with a 7–6 (2), 3–6, 6–4, 7–6 (3) victory over No. 4 Alexander Zverev of Germany.
Two American men have not met in the U.S. Open semifinals since 2005 when Andre Agassi beat Robby Ginepri 6–4, 5–7, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3.
Fritz is 6–1 all-time against Tiafoe in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Their most recent meeting was last year in Acapulco when Fritz won 6–3, 6–4.
Fritz grew up around the game of tennis in California. His mother, Kathy May, reached a top-10 world ranking in the late 1970s. His father, Guy Fritz, also played professionally and later became a coach.
Fritz had early success as a player and won the California Interscholastic Federation’s San Diego Section singles title as a high school freshman. In 2015, he won the ITF Junior World Championship, and he turned pro later that year.
Fritz had one of his better years in 2022 when he reached the final at the Indian Wells Open and beat Rafael Nadal in the final to claim a Masters 1000 title. He also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon that year and earned a No. 9 world ranking.
Last year, Fritz reached the quarterfinals in the U.S. Open but lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. After making the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year, Fritz now has his sights on a Grand Slam title in New York.
Tiafoe, from Hyattsville, Md., also had success as a youth while playing tennis at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md. He reached a world No. 2 ranking in the youth circuit before turning pro in 2015 at the age of 17.
Tiafoe won his first ATP title at the 2018 Delray Beach tournament. At age 20, he was the youngest American champion since Andy Roddick won at age 19 in 2002.
In 2019, Tiafoe reached the quarterfinal at the 2019 Australian Open at age 21, becoming the youngest American major men’s quarterfinalist since Roddick, then 20, at the Wimbledon Championships in 2003.
Tiafoe beat four-time champion Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 at the U.S. Open in 2022. He became the first black American to make the men’s semifinals at the U.S. Open since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
Tiafoe reached his career-high ranking of World No. 10 in June of 2023 and now is looking to expand his legacy.
The Friday match between Tiafoe and Fritz could be the first of many high-stakes meetings between the two rising star players.
