At the start of the tournament, I wrote that the US Open owed us a Novak Djokovic-Carlos Alcaraz showdown in the final. It turns out I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Because this Open has become legitimate open Alcaraz was eliminated in the second round, a day before Djokovic, who lost in the third round. The tournament was energized by performances from Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe in the men’s semifinals and the advancement of Emma Navarro and Jessica Pegula in the women’s.
And after the sport had been under the thumb of the hegemony of the Big Three Roger Federer-Rafa Nadal-Djokovic for two decades – benevolent, but also dictatorial – this seemed like a breath of fresh air.
The Big Three have won 29 of the 30 Grand Slams together, from the 2005 French Open to Wimbledon in 2012. The trio conspired to win 15 in a row from 2006 to 2009, then 14 in a row from 2017 to 2020. They were the Yankees. They were the Canadiens. They were the Celtics.
Get this: There was no first-time Grand Slam winner on the men’s side for five full years, from 2015 to 2019.
Popyrin earlier in this year’s US Open. JASON SZENES/NY POST
Today, as with other historical dynasties, their time is over. At least for this fortnight. Because it is foolish to relegate Djokovic to the past. The 37-year-old Serbian may not have won a Grand Slam this year for the first time since 2017 and the second time since 2010, but he did reach the Wimbledon final and win gold – on clay – at the Summer Olympics.
But there is a new dynamic at play. Yes, Jannik Sinner, the world’s No. 1 seed, can compete with him at 23. But he is not Federer, Nadal or Djokovic. He is not the dark cloud hanging over the table. He does not present the same kind of specter.
“You put yourself in position, it’s just a matter of time, and the match is open,” Tiafoe said after beating Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. “It’s not like before, when you reach the quarterfinals, you play against Rafa and you think about flying away.”
Sure, Tiafoe knocked Nadal out of the Open two years ago in a fourth-round upset before the Yankee advanced to the semifinals, where he lost a classic five-setter to Alcaraz. But you get the idea. Tiafoe has taken a step forward and a step back in the last two years. Fritz has also taken a step forward and a step back.
Until now.
The 21-year gap in men’s Grand Slam titles is a disgrace to the USTA, which once produced champion after champion with Pete Sampras (12), Andre Agassi (seven) and Jim Courier (three) winning a combined 22 majors from 1992 to 2001. Andy Roddick won the 2003 Open and reached three Grand Slam finals in the next three years, losing to Federer in Queens in 2006. An American has not appeared in a Grand Slam final since.
But an American will be in the final on Sunday. That much is certain, given Friday night’s semifinal between Fritz and Tiafoe, both of whom appear to have been overtaken in the USTA rankings by youngster Ben Shelton, though not as quickly. Fritz, who turns 27 late next month, and Tiafoe, who turns 27 in January, have been going their separate ways, working on their own schedules and no one else’s.
The dream of an All-American final Saturday was dashed when Navarro, the No. 13 seed, couldn’t hold off No. 2 seed Sabalenka in Thursday’s first semifinal, falling 6-3, 7-6 (2). But Pegula rallied in the second semifinal after being beaten 6-1 in the first set by Karolina Muchova to overcome an early break in the second set and win 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the 30-year-old Buffalo native’s first Grand Slam final.
Pegula will be looking to become the third American woman to win the championship in eight years, following Sloane Stephens’ victory in 2017, ahead of Coco Gauff who won the title last year. There has been no significant gap in that direction after Serena Williams’ era of dominance ended with her last Open title in 2014.
So it was the American rise that added spice to this tournament. Long ago, it was taken for granted. John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors met in the Open semifinals four times in five years, from 1978 to 1982. At least two Americans reached the men’s semifinals 21 times between 1977 and 2005. Those were the good old days.
I suppose there’s a chance this tournament will be nothing more than an oasis. Maybe the Americans will have miles of barren dirt to cover. But no one should bet on it. Tiafoe is in his second semifinal in three years and is made for the big stage. Fritz has captured his mind. Shelton is knocking on the door. Tommy Paul has big-game talent. Others are moving.
There is no time to lose, however.
It’s time.
This is the place.
Queens, New York.
USA.
New York Post
