Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will meet on Friday in New York, with the winner to become the first American to contest a US Open men’s singles final since Andy Roddick in 2006.
Tiafoe, who pushed past Grigor Dimitrov beneath the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night, knows he’s in for a battle with his compatriot. He won his first tour-level meeting with Fritz, at Indian Wells in 2016, but has lost their last six confrontations.
Will that lopsided head-to-head come into play when the pair meet in such a high-stakes affair in Flushing Meadows?
“It’s different in Ashe,” Tiafoe warned.
Tiafoe, into the semifinals in New York for the second time in three years, believes he has the intangibles on his side when he plays on the court he has turned into his own personal proving ground over the last three years.
“It’s going to be a big one for both of us, playing for a [Grand Slam] final,” he said. “I don’t think those [other seven] matches are anywhere near what this match would be, so it’s kind of tough to even go from there. Playing quarters of the Acapulco 500 and playing semis in Arthur Ashe at nightㅡwell, hopefully at nightㅡit’s a little different.”
They may be bitter rivals when Friday rolls around, but no matter who wins, Tiafoe and Fritz can be proud of the fact that it was their group that has ended a 15-year wait for an American Grand Slam finalist.
Not since Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer in the 2009 Wimbledon final has an American man pushed so far at a major. It’s taken a collective effort from all of the Americans to get there.
“Me, Taylor, Tommy [Paul], Reilly [Opelka], we’ve spoken about it for years,” he said. “This is the group. We openly speak about it.
“I think we’ve all been knocking on the door… It’s only a matter of time. You put yourself in positions, and the game is open. It’s not like it once was where you make quarterfinals, you play Rafa, and you’re looking at flights.
“I mean, that’s just the reality. Now it’s just totally different. And no one’s unbeatable. Yeah, it’s pretty exciting. First time since ’09. Hopefully it’s me.”
Tiafoe and Fritz have known each other since their junior days, and they’ve experienced their tennis journeys as competitors, teammates and friends. The 26-year-old Tiafoe says he’s taken plenty of inspiration from Fritz along the way.
The Southern California native even shared a vision with Tiafoe, about them one day being the top two Americans.
“I remember we were sitting on a plane some years ago,” Tiafoe recalls. “[Taylor’s] a pretty to-himself kind of dude, and he’s, like, ‘Bro, I think me and you are going to be the No. 1 and No. 2 Americans, leading the way.’”
Tiafoe credits Fritz for pushing him to tap his enormous potential. Now they can battle it out to see who plays for the trophy on Sunday in Ashe.
“He’s kind of had that mindset and he’s pushed me a lot, you know what I mean?” Tiafoe said. “I think we have kind of always pushed each other. Now I think it’s great that we get to compete against each other in such a big match, and I’m happy for him. I know he’s happy for me.
“Let the best man win come Friday. It’s going to be epic. Popcorn, do what you got to do. It’s going to be a fun one.”
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