Taylor Fritz roared past 2020 runner-up Alexander Zverev to reach his first major semi-final at the US Open.
As a final wayward forehand sailed out, Taylor Fritz, willed on by a vibrant New York crowd, let out a meaningful and powerful roar.
At four previous times of asking, Fritz was felled at the quarter-final stage.
A careful and brave four-set win was enough to beat Alexander Zverev for a second time since the American’s fourth round win over him at Wimbledon.
Setting up the first all-American semi-final at a major since 2005 against Frances Tiafoe, the US Open is longing for its first homegrown male winner since Andy Roddick in 2003.
Twice a grand slam runner-up, Zverev’s departure was a sorry but utterly inevitable tale.
Tim Henman offers Alexander Zverev after US Open defeat
From two sets up in an empty, covid-hit New York City, a silent Arthur Ashe gave a brutal stage for Zverev to squander his best chance yet.
The French Open finalist in June, Zverev fluffed his lines again from two sets to one up, with Carlos Alcaraz storming back.
Tim Henman suggested on Sky Sports that the German fourth seed will rue yet another missed opportunity: “Zverev is a great competitor and a great player but today it was a bit passive. It was like he was hoping that Fritz was going to miss and lose the match and that wasn’t the case.
“I think if Zverev looks back at this match he will realise he has got to be more aggressive and take the match by the scruff of the net. To go out and hit the big shots and look to be aggressive to progress in tournaments.
“I think it was a little bit of a disappointing performance. It looked like he was frustrated with his rackets. You have to find the solutions. Credit to Fritz he was the one who was really able to step up and take advantage.”
Three of Fritz’s quarter-final defeats have come to Novak Djokovic (2) and Rafael Nadal (1), with an exuberant Lorenzo Musetti condemning him to four at this year’s Wimbledon.
“He has got to be prepared to risk more,” Henman advised Zverev. ”He is very solid and will beat a lot of players just serving that consistently and rallying from the back of the court, using his athletic ability.
“But if he wants to beat Djokovic and beat whoever in a massive match in a grand slam he has to be prepared to risk more. He has to play closer to the baseline.
Go out and beat your opponents, dominate them, whereas sometimes he plays cautiously and that’s what cost him today.”
Maybe Alexander Zverev simply isn’t cut out to be a grand slam champion
It’s happened to most players in the last 25 years, yet nearly all have had the convenient excuse of Djokovic, Nadal, and Roger Federer.
With Zverev, it felt, or at least was suggested that his time would come upon the departure of the ’big three’.
In the three grand slams in 2024 prior to the US Open, Zverev lost from two sets up in the semi-final at the Australian Open, two sets to one up in the French Open final, and two sets up in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
With a somehow positive Zverev having recently hinted at imminent grand slam success, it all came crashing down right on cue.
Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have heaped up the three major titles this year, with the latter still the favorite to win in New York.
Choking on the big stage has long been an issue for the German, with Sam Querrey identifying this problem for Zverev after his defeat at Wimbledon.
As this past 10 days has demonstrated, the grand slams are opening up, players are getting opportunities they didn’t expect to. Zverev still can win a major, but this unwanted streak is only going to make things even harder.
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