Preview US Open 2024 Men's Semi-Final: An All Action American duel as Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe make history

A very special match will be played at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday, September 6th, 2024. It’s a US Open semi-final match between Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, so let’s take a closer look at how it might unfold.

The women’s final is set, and it will feature an American, as Jessica Pegula was able to battle past Karolina Muchova for a spot in the final. There was a minor chance that we could get an all-American final in New York as Emma Navarro stood in the other semi-final, but Aryna Sabalenka proved too good. We have an all-American match on the men’s side, though, but it’s in the semi-final, which means only one American will make it to the final.

It’s still a great moment for US tennis because it’s been a while since we had an American in the final of the US Open, as the last player to do so was Andy Roddick in 2006. This year it’s going to be either Taylor Fritz or Frances Tiafoe. Both have played amazing tennis so far to earn their rightful place in the semis, so let’s take a look at how they got there.

Fritz had a pretty dominant run to the semi-final, as he dropped only a handful of sets against really good players. It started with a really easy first-round win over Carabelli, 7-5, 6-1, 6-2, which he followed up by beating Matteo Berrettini, also in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-1. That was a really strong showing, which put a lot of people on notice. Fritz wasn’t on notice ahead of the event because he didn’t play all too well in Cincinnati before coming to New York. That win showed that he meant business.

He then added a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Francisco Comesana, and after that smashed Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to secure a spot in the quarter-final. That win over Ruud was truly dominant, as Fritz proved just how tough of a player he can be. Finally, he bested Alexander Zverev in four sets, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3), to advance to his maiden US Open semi-final. Fritz deserved his place there because he has been playing super solid tennis since the start of the event.

His opponent, Frances Tiafoe, already stood in a US Open semi-final, though he didn’t win that match. It was a spectacular match against Carlos Alcaraz, and the Spaniard barely won, which tells you how close Tiafoe really was. It was really close, and that’s an experience he can fall back on. His level in New York has been more or less the same as the one he had at the Cincinnati Open, where he made the final, losing only to Jannik Sinner. In that sense, his form at the US Open wasn’t a surprise. It is a bit of a surprise that he made the semi-final again because we’re not used to it from him.

Nobody has ever doubted that Tiafoe has the talent to do so, but far too many times the American failed to deliver when it mattered the most. It does tend to happen frequently on Arthur Ashe Stadium, and it’s no surprise. This is a special place for him, which has significance for every African-American player like himself. He’s talked about it often, and the event being on American soil obviously just adds to it. If he could only pick one event that he would like to win, it’s the US Open, and now he’s two matches away from that dream. His run to the final included a four-set win over Aleksandar Kovacevic, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.

He followed that up with a really solid win over Alexander Shevchenko, 6-4, 6-1, 1-0 RET. Ben Shelton proved to be the biggest problem for Tiafoe, and it was a bit of a mental battle. Shelton bested Tiafoe the year before and clearly gave him problems in the matchup. He played pretty well again, but Tiafoe was just locked in, and even though he didn’t have the best of matches, he was able to find a solution and win it, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3. That one was a true confidence booster, and he’s been flying ever since.

The match against Popyrin was one many wanted to see, considering how well the Aussie has been recently, but Tiafoe handled that one with ease as well, 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3. Finally, he bested Grigor Dimitrov in a match that was very competitive but unfortunately ended after Dimitrov injured himself, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-1 RET. Overall, it’s been a very impressive run for the American, who will now hope to solve a very tough riddle for himself.

The Head to Head between them heavily favours Taylor Fritz, who has lost only once to Tiafoe in seven matches. It happened a very long time ago when both were just starting out, and they’re so far removed from that reality that it doesn’t even make sense to mention it much. More recently, it’s been all Fritz, as he’s beaten him four times since 2022. Some of these matches were close; some of them weren’t, but Tiafoe was never really close to winning any of them. That’s a big problem because when you have Fritz, who is on a roll like he’s been this week, and when he knows that the matchup favours him, he’s pretty unstoppable.

He had a favourable matchup with Matteo Berrettini and just crushed him. You could see in his eyes that he simply knew he was going to win that match, and something similar could happen in this one. While the H2H isn’t a major surprise, as most people would put Fritz above Tiafoe as a player generally, it doesn’t take into account the human aspect, and that’s the most important one when it comes to this sport. There are a couple of things on that side we have to note, as they could prove to have a major impact.

First of all, it’s pretty well known that Tiafoe is more popular than Fritz in New York. While the crowd support should be evenly split, Tiafoe just has that crowd mojo that can push him above his opponent in certain moments. He wasn’t as good as Alcaraz two years ago, but he nearly beat him because he was playing hyped up and heavily backed by the crowd. Something similar could happen again, as he’s technically the underdog while also the more popular player overall, which means the crowd will likely root for him most of the time.

Second of all is the significance of the court to Tiafoe. He’s played his best tennis on this court, and it’s not even close. None of their previous matchups happened on Arthur Ashe Stadium, and while Fritz has been quite dominant, Tiafoe on Ashe is a very different player. You can’t really count him out because he just finds something special here. Those two things could turn this matchup upside down, and it’s a Grand Slam semi-final anyway, so anything can certainly happen.

Stylistically, it is a better matchup for Fritz because he is the better baseline player, and if he finds his rhythm, there won’t be much that Tiafoe will be able to do. Returning was never the strength of the American, though he’s been returning at a crazy good level so far in New York. That’s something that could give Fritz problems because he’s been known to start missing a lot if things don’t go his way. The serve of Tiafoe will also matter a lot. As long as he serves well, he’ll be in this match.

The match against Dimitrov showed just how good he can be when he serves well. It also showed that if you take away his first serve, there isn’t much there. Fritz, with his overwhelming baseline play, will certainly put a lot of pressure on that second serve, so serving well will be very important for Tiafoe if he hopes to win the match. Another thing to consider is how they performed in the biggest of matches.

Tiafoe has had some problems with that, but again, there are two versions. On Ashe, he’s been amazing, but away from Ashe, not so much. Fritz has generally been really good. If he’s playing well at an event, he will either get beaten by a better player or end up with the trophy. It’s just a fantastic matchup where the small things will decide who wins. Who has a better serving day? Who is better at returning on that day? Things like that will determine which American will go to the final. The crowd might have their favourites, but one of them will be there, and that’s what ultimately matters.

US tennis will dream of a US winner of the US Open for the first time in many years. It’s possible on both sides, and we’ll have to wait and see which players will defend the nation’s colours in the ATP one.