Frances Tiafoe has continued his US Open dream after securing a semi-final spot at Flushing Meadows.
Andy Roddick has backed Tiafoe to make the final, but the latter must first overcome compatriot Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals.
Tiafoe previously beat close friend Alexei Popyrin in round four, with his latest victory coming over Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals.
Aleksandar Kovacevic, Alexander Shevchenko and Ben Shelton have also all fallen to Tiafoe at the 2024 US Open.
Dimitrov was forced to retire from his quarter-final clash with Tiafoe due to injury, with the American having been leading 6-3, 6-7(5-7), 6-3, 4-1.
Frances Tiafoe reacts to Roger Federer watching his US Open quarter-final
The one-time US Open winner is, however, no longer at this year’s competition, but there was a Grand Slam champion watching Tiafoe in action against Dimitrov.
Five-time US Open winner Roger Federer was in the stands for the quarter-final, with Tiafoe sharing his thoughts upon seeing the Swiss legend on the big screen.
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“I mean that’s pretty sick,” Tiafoe said in his quarter-final press conference. “Honestly I wasn’t thinking about it that much, I was more pumped with Kevin Hart instead of Roger, honestly!
“But the last couple of years of Laver Cup you kind of get used to seeing him in the stands. But when they show him you’re like this dude was different man, winning five years in a row.
“And the way he looked in the suite is the same way he looked when he was playing. No sweat, tees ironed perfect, hair perfect, you’re like what is up with this guy! It’s funny, I give him credit about that all the time.
“But what a guy, what a legend, it’s so nice he is enjoying his life and doing his thing. He is just popping in whenever he wants to and he’s unbelievable wherever he goes.”
Can Frances Tiafoe enact US Open revenge on Roger Federer?
Tiafoe will have his own ambitions for his own career, which is certainly on an upwards trajectory at this moment in time.
But he may just have taken some inspiration from Federer, who won five of his 20 Grand Slam titles at the US Open.
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The Swiss icon remarkably won all five of those titles in successive years, overcoming a different opponent each time.
Tiafoe may, however, be keen to enact revenge on Federer for two of those wins, with two titles coming against Americans Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick.
The current American star may want to avenge his compatriots in Queens, although he must first make it past another home favourite in Fritz.
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