Washington: Taylor Fritz made a remarkable comeback to defeat his fellow American Frances Tiafoe at the US Open 2024 on Friday, marking the first time in 15 years that an American man has reached a Grand Slam final.
Ranked number 12 in the world, Fritz triumphed with scores of 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 and is set to challenge the top-seeded Jannik Sinner for the championship on Sunday.
Earlier, Australian Open champion Sinner secured his place as the first Italian man in the New York final with a 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 victory over Britain’s Jack Draper.
The last American to reach a men’s singles final at a Grand Slam was Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009. Roddick also holds the distinction of being the last American to win a Grand Slam title, which he achieved at the US Open in 2003.
Despite trailing 6-1 in head-to-head encounters with Fritz, Tiafoe entered Friday’s match with a superior Grand Slam performance, having reached his second US Open semifinal in his last three attempts.
Fritz, previously halted at the quarter-final stage of the Slams four times, ventured into unfamiliar territory. Tiafoe, drawing on his deeper experience, rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the first set to secure the lead.
Having advanced to the semifinals by defeating the fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev, Fritz failed to capitalize on a set point in the second set’s 10th game. However, he managed to even the score on his subsequent attempt, only to immediately lose ground as Tiafoe broke early in the third set and maintained the lead.
The match, characterized by minimal rallies and drama, saw Fritz equalize once more in the fourth set’s 10th game following Tiafoe’s mishit drop shot. This error sapped Tiafoe’s momentum, allowing Fritz to dominate a decisively one-sided final set, where Tiafoe scored a mere nine points.
