Taylor Fritz was in ecstasy when he slammed an ace down the T past Frances Tiafoe to surge into the final of the US Open.
With both men vying to make their first grand slam final but also become the first American male to contest a major final since 2009, the stakes were high.
Tiafoe claimed to suffer from cramps in the fourth set, and Fritz took full advantage, prevailing 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 and marching into the US Open final.
The 26-year-old set up a blockbuster showdown match with world number one Jannik Sinner, who has been the standout performer across 2024.
Sinner ended Jack Draper‘s fairytale run in New York and looks in strong contention to shatter the American’s dreams on Sunday.
Taylor Fritz reflects on US Open semi-final vs Frances Tiafoe
It felt as if Frances Tiafoe would be the one to pull himself over the line when he took a 2-1 lead in sets, putting himself on the cusp of history.
However, Taylor Fritz had other ideas and managed to spoil the party by outlasting his compatriot in the longer rallies.
It was far from plain sailing and, following the match, Fritz reflected on the physicality required of himself to get through in the end.
“To be honest, he did an incredibly good job of not showing me [that he was cramping],” said Fritz. “We played that one extremely long rally and I was trying my best to not show I was pretty gassed after that point.
“For me it’s more like I am gassed for 30 seconds to a minute, I feel like I can’t stand out, but once I go to the changeover and sit down and relax for a minute I feel like I am totally fine. But in that moment I went over the towel box I bent over, I didn’t want to but I had to, and I looked over at him and he didn’t go hands to knees.
“I was like I know I feel awful, he has to feel a little bit tired! But he did a good job of making me believe that he wasn’t feeling any worse than I was.
“The only thing I thought was funny or that I noticed was that very early on in the match I hit a really insane volley for me, and typically Frances would be laughing, he loves to laugh when I hit a good volley, because my volleys aren’t great and he over exaggerates how bad it is. I looked over at him expecting him to be smiling at me and he was dead serious. So I was like okay he’s really serious, he’s really locked into this one!”
Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz meet for US Open glory
Sinner and Fritz will battle it out on Sunday for a chance at having their name engraved into the US Open trophy.
While, Fritz is three years his opponent’s senior, he will go into final with much less experience competing in these big matches.
Sinner claimed the Australian Open in January and has been the far more consistent player at grand-slam level.
However, this won’t matter one bit when they step foot on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Here are their respective routes to the US Open final.
READ MORE: The Tennis Gazette’s expert writers predict every key 2024 US Open storyline
Jannik Sinner
- Round one: Mackenzie McDonald, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2
- Round two: Alex Michelsen, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2
- Round three: Christopher O’Connell, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
- Round four: Tommy Paul, 7-6, 7-6, 6-1
- Quarter-final: Daniil Medvedev, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4
- Semi-final: Jack Draper, 7-5, 7-6, 6-2
Taylor Fritz
- Round one: Camilo Ugo Carabelli, 7-5, 6-1, 6-2
- Round two: Matteo Berrettini, 6-3, 7-6, 6-1
- Round three: Francesco Comesana, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
- Round four: Casper Ruud, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
- Quarter-final: Alexander Zverev, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6
- Semi-final: Frances Tiafoe, 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
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