For The First Time Since 2006, An American Man Will Play In A Grand Slam Final - Taylor Fritz or Frances Tiafoe
With big names like Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz getting bounced from the US Open before the first weekend, some magic has taken place. On Friday night Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will face off in the semifinals, which will guarantee an American man in the finals of a slam for the first time since 2006.
Over the recent years there's been a rise in level from the American men in tennis. Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton Frances Tiafoe, Sebastian Korda, Jenson Brooksby, Alex Michelson, Brandon Nakashima, and Reilly Opelka have given the United States a legitimate presence in the rankings. You're seeing these guys pushing the top players in the game. What's been missing is that elusive slam title, something they've been seeking since Roddick won the US Open back in 2003. With the old guard of the sport on its way out, a window of opportunity has opened up for the Americans to do something special.
Taylor Fritz's game has taken a giant leap in recent years. Dude used to be unable to maintain a rally to save his life and had limited mobility. If he made it through the first weekend of a slam it was considered impressive. Now he's got an all court game to pair with his monster serve. The way he was able to return off of Zverev on Tuesday was so impressive. Tiafoe on the other hand has come alive during the US circuit. It seems like the only way for him to stay focused and lock in is when he's got the crowd behind in places like DC, Cincinnati, and New York. He's electric to watch. After getting by Dimitrov last night (kinda sad to see him physically struggle at the end) he's into his second US Open semifinal in three years. He's not facing Carlos Alcaraz though this time, instead it's his long time pal Fritz. Biggest match of their lives and it has them pitted against each other. Equally cruel as it is awesome.
With the women there's two Americans left in Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro. Jess plays the number one player in the world Iga Swiatek tonight, which will be a tall order. Winner of that goes to the semis, something Pegula has never reached at a slam before. Already there is Navarro who will play Sabalenka tomorrow night. Gonna be tough for them to get by either monster, but hey that's why they play the matches.
Sinner-Medvedev tonight in the men's quarters will be box office. If you're looking for something to watch tonight make sure that's on your TV. I'm gonna try and be in the building for that. Expecting an epic as many are dubbing it the unofficial final. That shit is going late into the night and I'm gonna enjoy every second of it.