Taylor Fritz defeats Frances Tiafoe and reaches the final of the US Open

When Taylor Fritz, a 26-year-old Californian, and Frances Tiafoe, a 26-year-old from Maryland, walked under the floodlights of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night for the first U.S. Open semifinal between two Americans in 19 years, the crowd would have been forgiven for not knowing who to support.

There was loud applause just before the first point, a prelude worthy of the show to come. Once the match began, the shifting dynamics perhaps made it difficult to choose between two close friends who have known each other since they played under-14 tournaments.

In the end, the celebrations went to Fritz, who prevailed in a six-game series against a weakened and frustrated Tiafoe with 4:6, 7:5, 4:6, 6:4 and 6:1 and reached his first Grand Slam final.

“That’s why I do what I do,” Fritz told fans in a post-game interview, his voice breaking. “That’s why I work so hard.”

The seventh victory of the number 12 seed Fritz in the eighth professional duel against number 20 Tiafoe gave him a showdown for the championship against number 1 Jannik Sinner on Sunday.

“He was so overwhelming from the baseline … and I just told myself I had to hang on and fight,” said Fritz, who was two games away from losing in the fourth set. “I told myself if I didn’t give it my all – just hang on and see if his level maybe dropped a little – then I would 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. If he beats Sinner, Fritz would be the first American to win a Grand Slam trophy since Roddick won the US Open 21 years ago.

“A dream has come true. I’m in the final. So I’m going to go out there and give everything I can,” said Fritz. “I can’t wait.”

Fritz said he thought Friday night’s semifinal was more stressful than Sunday’s final because both Americans had a lot at stake for a chance to play in their country’s Grand Slam.

“To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever be in a more stressful situation than today,” said Fritz. “I think today was much more stressful than the final.”

He added: “It’s different than playing against the world number one, against whom you’re probably not the favorite.”

In fact, Sinner is a -400 favorite to win the title at ESPN BET (Fritz is +300). Entering the tournament, Fritz was +2800 to win the US Open, while Sinner closed at +340.

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

He took control at 4-4 in the fourth set. Tiafoe’s mind and legs failed him and he started to cramp, at least in part because, he said, he was nervous, thinking the finish line was near and he was playing for the title.

“I felt like my body was failing me,” Tiafoe said. “I was too hasty.”

After his double fault in the fifth set allowed a break to make it 4-0, Tiafoe threw away his racket after more than three hours of play. Fritz retaliated with a double fault that ended the next game, but he broke again immediately and it was soon over. They met at the net for an embrace.

“Sometimes,” Tiafoe said, “it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Fritz had never made it past the quarterfinals of any of the sport’s four most prestigious tournaments, but along the way he was able to defeat a trio of players who between them finished runner-up six times at Grand Slam tournaments: Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini.

Fritz started well on Friday, hitting serves as fast as 217 km/h before Tiafoe rallied to win five games in a row. In the next set, Fritz was nearly perfect, winning 24 of 25 service points and hitting 8 of 8 at the net. Tiafoe quickly rallied and managed a break early in the third set, which proved enough for the set as he did not allow Fritz even a single break chance. Tiafoe seemed to lose steam after losing a certain 31-stroke point – the longest of the match – midway through the fourth set, and then gave away the final game of the set by making two double faults and hitting a drop shot into the net.

It was Tiafoe’s 13th loss in a five-set match since early 2015, when he made his Grand Slam debut. That’s the most losses in five-set matches at majors during that span.

“This is a really hard pill to swallow,” Tiafoe said. “This is going to really, really hurt.”

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