History is unfolding at the 2024 U.S. Open, and it’s a triumph for American tennis.
For the first time since 2005, the semifinals of the year’s final Grand Slam will feature an all-American showdown as Frances Tiafoe, 23, and Taylor Fritz, 26, take the court on Friday.
For U.S. tennis fans, this means an American will compete for the men’s singles title for the first time since 2006, when Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick to claim the championship.
"Let the best man win come Friday -- it's going to be epic," Tiafoe said after his quarterfinal win Tuesday night. "Popcorn, do what you got to do. It's going to be a fun one."
Tiafoe, from Maryland, faces a tough challenge against California’s Fritz, who holds a commanding 6-1 lead in their head-to-head matchups. With their last encounter in 2023, Tiafoe is unfazed and ready to compete.
"It's different on Ashe [Arthur Ashe Stadium], man," Tiafoe said. "I don't think those matches are anywhere near what this match would be, so it's kind of tough to even go from there. Playing quarters of Acapulco 500 and playing semis at Arthur Ashe at night -- well, hopefully at night -- it's a little different."
Fritz won his quarterfinal match earlier in the day on Tuesday as he upset No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev in four sets. He had the sweet luxury of watching Tiafoe take on Grigor Dimitrov that night under the lights. Fritz is eagerly anticipating the All-American showdown.
"Foe [Tiafoe], I mean, that's going to be a lot of fun, and that's going to be just electric," Fritz said. "I think that would be awesome for the fans, as well, to be guaranteed that one of us is going to be going to the finals."
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The difference for Americans at the 2024 U.S. Open
What sets the 2024 U.S. Open apart from previous years, leading to a surge of American players advancing to the final stages of the tournament?
If you ask Fritz and Tiafoe, along with their compatriots Tommy Paul and Reilly Opelka, this was all premeditated. The Americans, who were all ranked within the world's top 20, have had "open discussions" about this moment as a group.
"We've spoken about it for years, this is the group -- we openly speak about it," Tiafoe said. "I think we all been knocking on the door...You put yourself in positions, it's only a matter of matter of time."
Tiafoe highlighted that with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal absent from the draw, and early exits from Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, the “game is wide open.”
"It's not like it once was where you make quarterfinals, you play Rafa [Nadal], and you're looking at flights," Tiafoe said. "That's just the reality. Now it's just totally different... and no one's unbeatable."
Tiafoe and Fritz will play for one spot in the U.S. Open final while the other side of the draw competes for semifinal spots on Wednesday. Alex de Minaur will take on Jack Draper during Wednesday's day session while Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner will be highlighted under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The men's final will take place on Sunday -- where an American champion could be crowned for the first time since Andy Roddick in 2003.
