Tiafoe relishing 'epic' battle with Fritz

NEW YORK — Frances Tiafoe promised an epic US Open semifinal showdown against Taylor Fritz, as the childhood friends with contrasting personalities, but similar ambitions, look to end a long Grand Slam drought for American men.

Tiafoe advanced to the first all-American Grand Slam semifinal since 2005 on Tuesday, when Grigor Dimitrov retired injured trailing 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-1, just hours after Fritz moved past Alexander Zverev 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

The winner of Friday's clash will become the first American man to reach a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009. Roddick was the last US player to win a men's major when he won in New York in 2003.

Tiafoe, who reached the semis at Flushing Meadows in 2022, said he and Fritz were at opposite ends of the personality spectrum.

"As personalities, you can't meet two that are more extreme," Tiafoe told reporters. "He's a video game, never leaves the room, goofball. I'm loud, obnoxious at times.

"But, he's also very funny. He's got that dry humor, a smart ass, but at the same time that's why we like each other, because we're so different, and that's why we get along so well."

On the court, there are more similarities than differences.

"Then, as competitors, we're very alike, hate to lose. We battle hard, but personalities, we're very different. It's funny to see our relationship, how we've gotten older," he added.

"It's going to be epic. Popcorn, do what you got to do. It's going to be a fun one on Friday."

Tiafoe, the 20th seed, comes into the semifinal having won only one of his seven meetings with Fritz, but hopes that playing at Arthur Ashe Stadium will work in his favor.

"It's different on Ashe," he said. "Obviously you have to learn from those (defeats). A couple of those, I thought I actually should have won.

"I don't think those matches are anywhere near what this match will be, so it's tough to even go from there. Playing quarters in Acapulco and playing semis at Ashe at night — hopefully at night — it's a little different."

The tournament has seen a number of top contenders go out early, while four-time champion Rafa Nadal is absent due to concerns about his fitness, and Tiafoe said men's tennis is much more open in the current era.

"It's not like it once was, where you make quarterfinals, you play Rafa, and you're looking at flights," the 26-year-old added. "That's just the reality.

"Now, it's just totally different. No one's unbeatable. Especially later in the season when guys are maybe a little bit cooked. Maybe just not as fresh, and they're vulnerable."

Navarro vs Sabalenka

On the women's side, Emma Navarro's first Grand Slam semifinal will come at the US Open against Aryna Sabalenka, someone trying to win her second major trophy of the year and third overall.

Navarro, an American who is seeded 13th, used a stunning turnaround to grab the last six games of her quarterfinal against Paula Badosa for a 6-2, 7-5 victory at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday, following up her upset of defending champion Coco Gauff.

"Sometimes you're out on the court, and you can kind of picture yourself playing a third set. When I was out there, I didn't picture myself playing a third set," despite being down 5-1 in the second, Navarro said. "I felt like ... I could come back and do it in two."

There was no such drama in No 2 Sabalenka's 6-1, 6-2 win against No 7 Zheng Qinwen, the gold medalist at the Paris Olympics last month, in a rematch of Sabalenka's victory in the Australian Open final.

With Roger Federer in the stands, attending the US Open for the first time since his retirement, Sabalenka displayed a typically powerful performance to get into the semifinals in New York for the fourth year in a row.

In 2023, she was the runner-up to Gauff.

Sabalenka said she saw Federer in the crowd and figured he was there to watch Tiafoe and Dimitrov in the match that followed hers.

"But still, I was like, OK, I have to play my best tennis so he enjoys it. I have to show my skills, you know, slice skills, come to the net and all that stuff," the 26-year-old from Belarus, said with a laugh.

She is trying to become the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win the hardcourt major titles at the Australian Open and US Open in the same year.

Sabalenka defeated Zheng in January for a second consecutive title at Melbourne Park.

"I just think the next time I play against her, maybe I should hold a rally better and play a little bit more relaxed," Zheng said.

"Because, today, obviously, I entered into the match with a lot of nerves."

Zheng was coming off a three-set win over Donna Vekic in what turned out to be a US Open record late finish for a women's match.

"I couldn't sleep after I finished the match at 2:30 in the morning. I wasn't able to practice yesterday because I was feeling terrible. I couldn't wake up," said Zheng.

"Sometimes, the schedule is like this. If I hit some balls yesterday, maybe it would have helped for the match today, but it's fine," the 21-year-old added.

The opponents in the other women's semifinal will be decided on Wednesday, when No 1 Iga Swiatek plays No 6 Jessica Pegula, and No 22 Beatriz Haddad Maia takes on unseeded Karolina Muchova.

Agencies