NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Fritz rode a six-game run against a frustrated and flagging Frances Tiafoe to prevail 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in an all-American series at the U.S. Open on Friday night and reach her first Grand Slam final.
The No. 12 seed Fritz’s momentum-shifting victory over No. 20 Tiafoe — a pair of 26-year-olds who are close friends and have known each other since they played in under-14 tournaments — earned a showdown with No. 1 Jannik Pecher for the championship on Sunday.
Fritz will be the first American to reach a major final since Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009. And if he can get past Sinner, Fritz would become the first American to win a Grand Slam trophy since Roddick did it 21 years ago at the U.S. Open.
“That’s why I do what I do,” Fritz said, his voice breaking. “That’s why I work so hard.”
On Friday, after leading 4-4 in the fourth set, he took control of the match as Tiafoe’s strokes and usual confidence failed him. After a double fault that gave him a break to lead 4-0 in the fifth set, more than three hours into the game, Tiafoe threw down his racket. Fritz returned the favor with a double fault to end the next game, but he immediately broke and it was over.
Sinner, a 23-year-old Italian cleared in a doping case less than three weeks ago, cruised to a 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over No. 25 Jack Draper earlier Friday that saw both competitors treated simultaneously by trainers during the hour-and-a-half second set.
“It was a very physical match, as you can see,” said Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January. “I just tried to stay mentally on top.”
He had his left wrist massaged after falling during a point he managed to win; Draper needed medical attention after vomiting twice during a game where the temperature hovered around 21C and the humidity was over 60%. During this break in the action, a vacuum cleaner was used to clean the floor behind the baseline and finish the clean-up job that Draper, a 22-year-old Briton, tried to do himself by wiping up his, er, mess with a towel.
There was no such drama outside of the Tiafoe vs Fritz match, and the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd could have been forgiven for not knowing who to root for in the first semi-final in New York between two Americans for 19 years.
There was a round of applause just before the first point, a curtain-raiser worthy of the spectacle that was about to unfold. Yet when Fritz broke to take a 3-0 lead, there was not even a roar, only polite applause.
The guest boxes seemed to reflect the contrasting personalities of the players. The excitable Tiafoe would mark a key moment by pumping his fist, clenching his teeth, swinging his racket or nodding his head as he strutted toward the sidelines, and his entourage — including coach David Witt, who worked with Venus Williams for many years, as well as Jessica Pegula, the American who defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the U.S. Open women’s final on Saturday — stood and applauded, point after point after point.
The group in Fritz’s softer corner was more selective in its celebrations.
For Tiafoe, who grew up in Maryland, it was his second time in a major semifinal. He lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz at this stage in New York two years ago. Fritz, a Californian, had never advanced past the quarterfinals in one of his sport’s four most prestigious events until now, but his run to Friday included victories over a trio of guys who have combined to be finalists at six Grand Slams: Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini.
Fritz started well Friday, hitting 135 mph, before Tiafoe recovered and won five straight games. Soon, that set was Tiafoe’s. In the next one, Fritz — who entered the match with a 6-1 lead in head-to-head play — was nearly perfect, winning 24 of 25 service points and playing 8 of 8 at the net. Tiafoe recovered quickly again, breaking early in the third set, which proved to be enough for that set, as he never gave Fritz a chance for a break. Tiafoe let the final game of the fourth set slip away, double-faulting twice and sinking a drop shot, part of an 11-point run for Fritz that helped give him a big lead in the fifth set.
There is no doubt which runner-up will receive the most support on Sunday.
Last month, rumors swirled that Pécheur failed two drug tests eight days apart in March but was cleared because he said traces of anabolic steroids — an ingredient in an over-the-counter cut treatment sold in Italy — inadvertently entered his system via a message from a team member he has since fired. The whole episode has been a constant topic of conversation as he has progressed through the US Open draw.
The longer the points went on between Sinner and Draper – who are friends and played doubles together at an event in August – the more things went in the Italian’s favour as the match stretched to more than three hours.
He’s as pure a ball-striker as you can get in the men’s game right now, and while Draper’s left-handed power and good hands – whether following his serves at the net or simply finding other moments to hit volleys, he won 22 of 34 points when he was advancing – have made some progress, Sinner has gotten better and better as the rallies have gone on.
Sinner won the point on 50 of 80 that lasted nine or more shots.
“Jannik plays at a very high level,” Draper said, “all the time.”
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Tennis AP :
