With their triumphs on Tuesday, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz ensured an all-American semifinal at the US Open and, for the first time in eighteen years, an American in the nation's Grand Slam final.
With Grigor Dimitrov's injury forcing him to retire in the fourth set, 20th-seeded Tiafoe advanced to the final four at Flushing Meadows for the second time in three years.
As midnight approached, Dimitrov withdrew from the match while Tiafoe was up 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 4-1. It was an anticlimactic conclusion to a match that wasn't particularly good.
Tiafoe stated, "I'm obviously happy to get through, even though it's not how I want to get through." Here we have another semifinal. Amazing."
Just a quick peek at the inconsistent play from both: With three set points at 6-3 in the tiebreaker, Dimitrov was ahead.
He had a double fail on the first. He made another double-fail on the second. Tiafoe double-failed on the third, giving the set to the other player.
Fritz, a 26-year-old Californian who was ranked 12th, had a 0–4 record in Slam quarterfinals going into the day.
“Try before you buy. See it, smell it, sit on it. And - bargain for it.