NEW YORK — Taylor Fritz, the late blooming son of an American tennis star of the 1970s, is headed to the US Open final to face Jannik Sinner.
Relying on the big serve, expanding toolbox and thickening spine that have allowed him to compete with the best players in the world in recent years, Fritz twice fought back against Frances Tiafoe, his close friend and training partner from his teenage years. .
In the first US Open semifinal between two American men in 19 years, Fritz triumphed 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. He is the first American man to reach the US Open final since 2006, when Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer.
Fritz will be a heavy underdog on Sunday against Sinner, the Italian world No. 1, who has mostly dug through his opponents the past two weeks, despite the occasional wobble. But Fritz envisioned himself holding the US Open trophy for years, even when that idea seemed absurd to most.
He couldn’t care less about the other side of the net. He would play Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic at the same time for such an opportunity.
“It’s the reason why I do what I do, the reason why I work so hard,” Fritz said through tears on the court when it ended.
Taylor Fritz blew Frances Tiafoe away in the final set. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press)
On this court, in this stadium, in front of this crowd of nearly 24,000, with his home Grand Slam on the line and the chance to break the 21-year major drought for American men, don’t think he doesn’t fancy his chances.
Quietly, humbly, he’s so confident these days, and he’s played like that the past 12 of them. He took out Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud, both Grand Slam finalists ahead of him, en route to the semi-finals against Tiafoe – an overwhelming crowd favorite who thrives on the vibrations of Arthur Ashe Stadium, especially at night.
Two years after he upset Rafael Nadal en route to lighting up New York with a scintillating five-set battle against Alcaraz, Tiafoe on Ashe at the US Open under the lights has become a thing – for him and for everyone who shows up.
Frances Tiafoe wowed the crowd on Arthur Ashe – for most of the match. (Associated Press)
No matter how big a slump Tiafoe has endured the past few months, or how dismal his game has been for a year, he sees the bright lights of the city and the big stadiums, hears the noise, and watches the big screens to see which ones. his famous idols who have become friends are there with him.
He revives, because “it’s different with Ashe.”
Not against Fritz.
Those were Tiafoe’s words earlier this week after he booked his place in the semi-finals against the 26-year-old from southern California, who had dominated their matchup for eight years. Fritz has beaten Tiafoe six out of seven times, and now it’s seven out of eight.
For most of Friday night, it wasn’t clear why. Fritz had the bigger serve, but Tiafoe almost matched it and seemed to have just a few more shots in his racket. That’s what the match came down to — a few points in each set. At first, Fritz played the laziest in the worst of times.
And then late in the fourth set, with Tiafoe serving to pull even at 5-5 and an inch closer to the finish, he had one of those breaks that have plagued him throughout his career, on the biggest stage at the worst possible time . Double mistakes, mistakes, bad decisions. If there was a mistake to be made Tiafoe made it, and Fritz jumped at the moment, finishing Tiafoe with the ace that put him one step away from the place he always wanted to go.
(Top photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
