Taylor Fritz beats Frances Tiafoe to play for US Open title

NEW YORK — When Taylor Fritz, a 26-year-old from California, and Frances Tiafoe, a 26-year-old from Maryland, stepped into the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium Friday night for the first U.S. Open semifinal between two Americans in 19 years, the crowd could have been forgiven for not knowing which one to root for.

There was a round of applause just before the opening point, a fitting curtain raiser for the spectacle about to unfold. Once the competition began, perhaps the change of pace made it difficult to choose between two close friends who have known each other since they competed in under-14 tournaments.

In the end, the roars were for Fritz, who rode a six-game series against a frustrated and fading Tiafoe to prevail 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 and reach his first Grand Slam final.

“That’s why I do what I do,” Fritz told fans, his voice cracking during a postgame interview. “That’s why I work so hard.”

No. 12 seed Fritz’s decisive victory over No. 20 Tiafoe earned him a showdown with No. 1 Jannik Sinner for the championship on Sunday.

“He was so overwhelming from the baseline … and I tried to tell myself to stay in it and fight,” said Fritz, who was two games away from losing the fourth set. “I told myself that if I didn’t give it my all – hang in there and see if his level would drop a little bit – then I was going to regret it for a long time.”

He will be the first American to reach 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 American to win a Grand Slam trophy since Roddick did it 21 years ago at the US Open.

“It’s a dream come true. I’m in the final. So I’m going to go out there and give it my all,” Fritz said. “I can’t wait.”

Fritz now has 17 major match wins in 2024, the most by an American in a year since Roddick’s 17 in 2003.

On Friday, after leading 4-4 ​​in the fourth set, he took control of the game as Tiafoe’s strokes and usual confidence failed him. After a double fault from Tiafoe that gave him the break to make it 4-0 in the fifth set, more than three hours into the game, he threw down his racket. Fritz returned the favor with a double fault to end the next game, but he immediately broke and it was over. They met at the net for a hug.

Fritz had never made it past the quarterfinals in one of his sport’s four most prestigious events until then, but that run included victories over a trio of guys with six Grand Slam finalists in total: Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini.

Fritz started well Friday, hitting 135 mph before Tiafoe recovered and won five straight games. In the next set, Fritz — now up 7-1 against Tiafoe — was nearly perfect, winning 24 of 25 service points and playing 8 of 8 at the net. Tiafoe quickly recovered, breaking early in the third set, which proved enough for the set, as he never gave Fritz a chance for a break. Tiafoe seemed to lose steam after losing one particular 31-shot point — the longest of the match — midway through the fourth set, then gave up the final game of that set by double-faulting twice and sinking a drop shot.

It was Tiafoe’s 13th five-set loss since the start of the 2015 season, when he made his Grand Slam debut. It was the most five-set losses at major tournaments during that span.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.