Frenchman Tiafoe advanced to the US Open semi-finals for the second time in three years on Tuesday after rival Grigor Dimitrov retired in the fourth set with an injury.
Tiafoe was leading 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3, 4-1 when the Bulgarian retired from the court.
Dimitrov had played a five-setter in the fourth round and appeared to run out of steam late in the third set against the American. He held his right thigh and limped through the points.
After that set, Dimitrov was visited by a physical therapist and briefly left for the locker room for treatment.
He returned for the start of the fourth quarter, but was unable to move properly and ended up collapsing.
Tiafoe will face another American, Taylor Fritz, in the semi-final. This guarantees that there will be a local representative in the men’s final.
Fritz beat Alexander Zverev 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) to reach the semifinals of a Slam for the first time… after a long journey climbing the rankings and becoming the number one in American men’s tennis, being close to that moment of prominence in the four major events,
Fritz, 26, of California, entered the quarterfinals at majors with a 0-4 record.
“I had experienced several quarter-finals in recent years and today was a different feeling,” said the 12th seed, interviewed on court. “I felt that it was really my moment to take a step forward… It feels perfect to do it on this court, at the US Open, in front of this crowd.”
Fritz managed to break the barrier against Zverev, the fourth seed and runner-up of the 2020 edition. He had already defeated the German in five sets in the fourth round of Wimbledon almost two months ago.
The last semi-final between American men at a Slam was in 2005, when Andre Agassi defeated Robby Ginepri in New York.
The United States has been waiting for a home-grown champion at its Slam for more than two decades. The last to do so was Andy Roddick, who won the title by beating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2003 final.
Fritz dominated the match with an efficient serve, taking 20 of 21 points with his first serve in the fourth set and 81% in the match.
The other quarter-finals will be played on Wednesday: top seed Jannik Sinner against fifth seed Daniil Medvedev; and 10th seed Alex de Minaur against 25th seed Jack Draper.
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