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Fritz rallies past Tiafoe to reach first Grand Slam final at US Open

  • Posted: Sep 07, 2024

Taylor Fritz is one win away from ending the United States’ 21-year-wait for a male Grand Slam singles champion.

The 12th seed rallied past longtime friend and fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Friday evening to reach his first major final at the US Open. Andy Roddick triumphed at Flushing Meadows in 2003. Now Fritz will have a chance to earn his own Grand Slam glory on Sunday when he takes on top seed Jannik Sinner for the trophy.

“It’s the reason I do what I do, the reason why I work so hard. I’m in the finals of the US Open,” Fritz said as he teared up. “It’s a dream come true and I’m going to give it everything I possibly have. I know that for a fact.”

The 26-year-old arrived in New York with one win across ATP Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati. But that has not proven a problem for Fritz, who is the first American male to make a major singles final since Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009.

The golden opportunity at his home Slam seemed to be slipping away. After winning the second set under the New York lights, Tiafoe, who does as well as anyone on Tour to use the crowd to his advantage, harnessed the atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe Stadium to take control of the match.

The three-time ATP Tour titlist was preventing Fritz from dominating the action with his power and was two games from making his own history. With tennis legends in the stands including Roddick, Stan Smith and Tracy Austin, as well as celebrities ranging from Travis Scott and Fat Joe to basketball players Tyrese Maxey and John Wall, Tiafoe also enjoyed most of the crowd’s support.

But after nine games without a break point in the fourth set, Tiafoe badly mishit a forehand to suddenly give Fritz a set point, and then missed a forehand drop shot — one of several poor drop shots in the match — to send the clash into a deciding set.

Fritz seized the momentum and never looked back. The 12th seed hit a big backhand return, which Tiafoe was unable to handle, in his first return game of the fifth set to break. Although he let slip a double-break advantage with a double fault later on, that proved a momentary blip. 

If the fifth-placed player in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin is one thing, he is a relentless competitor. He does not have the flare of Tiafoe nor does he show the same level of emotion. But Fritz always battles back.

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After losing his first four major quarter-finals, including two earlier this year, Fritz broke his duck against two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion and 2020 US Open finalist Alexander Zverev three days ago. Despite the deficit against Tiafoe, who was opportunistic to convert four of his five break points, Fritz never showed signs of panic, even if he was overwhelmed on the inside.

“I felt I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I was just getting overwhelmed,” Fritz said. “I was freaking out a little bit and [coach Michael Russell] told me to keep doing what I was doing, accept it was okay and keep making him do it. That helped to calm me down and let me know I was doing the right thing.”

The eight-time ATP Tour titlist continued to play hard and won 25 of the 34 points in the deciding set, claiming eight of the final nine games to triumph in three hours and 18 minutes. 

“He was overwhelming from the baseline so much, taking the ball so early, changing lines so well,” Fritz said of Tiafoe’s aggressive approach. “I just told myself to try to stay in it, fight to hold my serve and apply scoreboard pressure as much as possible.”

Fritz will take a 1-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head record into his showdown with Sinner, who won his first Grand Slam title earlier this year at the Australian Open. He earned the opportunity with a courageous comeback in the biggest moment of his career.

Fritz said: “I told myself if I didn’t give it absolutely everything I had and stick with it and see if his level might drop a little bit, I would regret it for a long time.”

Tiafoe began his season with a 19-18 record. But since arriving in Cincinnati, he has reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final and second US Open semi-final to improve to 29-20.

Did You Know?
This was the first all-American men’s singles semi-final at a major since Andre Agassi beat Robby Ginepri at the US Open in 2003.

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Draper: ‘I’m breaking barriers of what I think is possible’

  • Posted: Sep 07, 2024

Jack Draper lost a hard-fought battle to Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the US Open on Friday. But he was happy with his run in New York and had positive takeaways from his first semi-final at a Grand Slam tournament, despite the 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-2.

“When I came here last year I was 120 in the world, barely played the whole season. I think I’ll be leaving here this week Top 20,” he said. “I’m breaking new barriers down the whole time of what I think is possible.”

The 22-year-old Brit had not dropped a set before the semi-finals. He became the first man since Daniil Medvedev in 2020 to do so. Despite battling the pressure and New York’s muggy conditions, he left everything on the court, even as he struggled physically against the World No. 1.

“I think it was obviously a very physical match. Obviously, that’s why Jannik is the No. 1 player in the world because when you play the top players, the intensity is different… it’s a step up,” he shared.

“I think obviously it’s a big occasion for me. I definitely felt more excited today, a few more nerves around.”

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Visibly hampered by the conditions on Arthur Ashe, he vomited thrice during the match and received a medical timeout in the second set. The Brit acknowledged that the pressure contributed to his physical discomfort, but that the thought of tapping out of the match didn’t enter his mind.

“No, no, no, I’m not going to retire in the semis of a Grand Slam,” he said. “I know the last set, it probably looked liked from courtside or on TV that it was not a great look. But at the end of the day, I always try and give my best

“I’m definitely someone who is, I think, quite an anxious human being. I think when you add all that together sometimes I do feel a bit nausea on court, and I do feel a little bit sick when it gets tough.

“I didn’t have any problems before the match, but it obviously just built up.”

After the match, Draper was all praise for his good friend Sinner, who will play for his second Grand Slam title of the season against American No. 20 Frances Tiafoe or No. 12 Taylor Fritz. The 22-year-old had won their only previous meeting at the cinch Championships in 2021.

“Jannik’s got huge experience already. The reason why he’s No. 1 in the world (and) barely losing matches is because he’s so consistent. His intensity, his ball speed, he has barely got any weaknesses, and he’s just able to be there point by point and raise his level when he needs to.

“Mentally, physically, emotionally, everything’s constantly improving, and he’s rock solid in all areas. He’s tough to beat.”

After an inspiring run to the semi-finals, Draper has risen to a career-high No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings. He became the first Brit to reach the semi-finals of the US Open since Andy Murray clinched the title in 2012.

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Sinner takes 'wait-and-see' approach with wrist

  • Posted: Sep 07, 2024

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner may be in for a restless sleep tonight after advancing Friday to the US Open final.

But it won’t be the nerves of contending for his second Grand Slam title of the season that are likely to put him into a cold sweat. Wondering how his wrist will feel in the morning after a mid-match fall during his straight-sets win over Jack Draper will be his major concern.

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At 4-all in the second set Sinner extended his left arm to cushion his fall to the court. He looked in discomfort after the tumble and received treatment from the physio at the change of ends.

In his post-match press conference, Sinner said that he was not in too much distress as he continued the match, but would reserve judgment on whether he had escaped serious damage until he woke up Saturday morning.

“The physio loosened it up very fast on court, so after I felt okay in the beginning. Then after it went away by playing, which is good,” Sinner said.

“Let’s see how it is tomorrow when it’s cold. It’s gonna be a different feeling. Hopefully is nothing to concern about. I’m quite relaxed, because if it’s something bad, you feel it straightaway a bit more.”

Sinner will face the winner of tonight’s semi-final between Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe.

Asked to weigh in on his potential opponent, Sinner spoke first of Fritz. “Well, big serve. Very solid player from the back of the court. He can hit strong. He can hit with rotation. He can mix up the game very well. He has played a lot this year, so he has a lot of rhythm of the match.

“If it’s Frances, we just played the final in Cincinnati. He’s a very good mover, a good serve also. He can mix up the game with the slice. You know, he’s coming a little bit more to the net than Taylor.

“So it’s a bit slightly different two players, but yeah, I’m just looking forward for Sunday, and then we see how it goes.”

Regardless of whom he meets, Sinner knows that his opponent will have overwhelming support from New York fans.

“Whoever I play, being in America for sure the crowd will be a little bit more on their side.

“But it’s normal. It’s like when I play in Italy, so I’m gonna accept that. I have my team and my people who are close to me. In my mind, I know that there are many people watching from home from Italy, and it’s just take some support from them.”

 

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