Preview: Fritz and Tiafoe aim to make history at the US Open; Draper aims to surprise Sinner | ATP Tour

Match Preview

Preview: Fritz and Tiafoe aim to make history at the US Open; Draper aims to surprise Sinner

The US Open semi-finals will be played this Friday

September 05, 2024

There has not been an American player in the men’s singles final at the US Open since 2006. The drought will end on Friday when Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe meet in one of the semifinals in New York.

The two players will take to the Arthur Ashe Stadium in front of the home crowd in an interesting semi-final on the American hard court. It will also be an interesting duel where Fritz’s dominant serve and Tiafoe’s ability to use his opponent’s power to his advantage will clash. In addition, it will be a duel between good friends who have played a fundamental role in the resurgence of American men’s tennis in recent years.

“Taylor and I had a conversation about being the No. 1 and No. 2 Americans for a long time,” Tiafoe said before facing off in the first Grand Slam semifinal between Americans since Andre Agassi defeated Robby Ginperi in 2005. “I remember we were sitting on the plane a few years ago and he, who is a pretty private guy, said to me, ‘Bro, I think you and I are going to be the top two Americans. ’”

Fritz enters this US Open as the top American in the PIF ATP Rankings and has handled the pressure this fortnight in his bid to become the first men’s singles champion since Andy Roddick in 2003. The 26-year-old has dropped just two sets in his five matches, eliminating Matteo Berrettini, Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev along the way.

After losing his first four Grand Slam quarter-finals, Fritz held his own against Zverev to move on in four sets and reach his first semi-final. However, the eight-time ATP Tour champion has no intention of settling for his achievements so far.

“The emotional level is at rock bottom,” said Fritz. “It’s great to be in the semi-finals, but I’m very aware that the work is not done and I’m still taking it match by match as I have done throughout the tournament. I’m focused on the next match that awaits me.”

Fritz comes into the match with history on his side. The No. 12 seed has a favorable 6-1 record in Lexus ATP Head2Head against Tiafoe, which includes a win in their only Grand Slam head-to-head meeting at the 2022 Australian Open. However, Tiafoe is coming off his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati in August and believes their past duels will have little impact on Friday in New York.

“It’s different at the Ashe,” said Tiafoe, who also reached the semi-finals at the 2022 US Open. “It’s different. Obviously you have to learn from them.” [las derrotas]. I think he should have won one of them. He is tough. He is a difficult player. He plays very well on both sides, he has a great serve, he moves much better now. It will be difficult.”

In addition to becoming the first American finalist since Roddick in 2006, whoever wins Friday’s semifinal matchup will take a significant leap forward in his Nitto ATP Finals hopes. Currently seventh in the PIf ATP Live Race To Turin is held by Fritz, who could move up to fourth with a final. Tiafoe, who has never qualified for the prestigious season-ending tournament, would move from No. 14 to No. 10 in the Live Race with a win over Fritz.

Sinner seeks revenge against Draper
After years of dealing with injuries, has Jack Draper’s time come on the big stage?

The Briton has reached his first Grand Slam semi-final without dropping a set this fortnight at the US Open, where world No. 1 Jannik Sinner will stand in his way in the semi-finals. At 22, Draper, a junior rival and friend of Sinner, has found his perseverance rewarded in New York.

“I’ve had moments where I’ve thought about quitting or whether I was cut out for this sport. Am I good enough? All that kind of stuff,” said Draper, who won his first ATP Tour title in June in Stuttgart. The Briton beat Alex de Minaur in three sets in the quarter-finals. “I still believe in myself, I keep working.”

“Those are tough times. This is not a tough time compared to that. This is a privilege and an honour to be in this position,” warned the Briton. “This is what I have worked so hard for, so I have to keep going at my pace. I am not afraid to be in these positions.”

So can Draper maintain his incredible form to shock the World No. 1 and become the first Briton to reach the US Open final since Andy Murray lifted the trophy in 2012? The left-hander, who has already guaranteed his breakthrough into the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings next Monday with his performance in New York, won the only Lexus ATP Head2Head match against Sinner at Queen’s 2021.

Even before that clash on the London grass, Sinner was already familiar with Draper’s game. The Italian remembers watching the Briton compete as a junior and knows he has to adapt to the challenge of facing his opponent’s big serve and heavy hitting.

“I don’t remember playing against him… but I remember watching him from the outside,” Sinner said of Draper after beating Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals. “Obviously, he’s a lefty, which is kind of hard to watch because there are fewer lefties than righties. He always hits the ball very, very well.”

“It’s going to be a tough match. He hasn’t lost a set yet. He’s a great player. A great server. I watched his match today, he’s hitting very, very hard. It’s going to be a tough match but I’m looking forward to it and I hope it’s a good match,” he added.

After beating Medvedev in New York, the Italian has completed all the Grand Slam semi-finals. The Australian Open champion has the advantage in terms of experience in these final rounds, but he cannot rely on an opponent who has enough weapons to expect one of the big duels of the season.