Preview US Open 2024 Men’s semifinals: Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe make history – an American duel with lots of action

On Friday, September 6, Arthur Ashe Stadium will host a very special match. It’s the US Open 2024 semifinal between Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe. Let’s take a closer look at how it might play out. Preview written by James Lloyd (TennisUpToDate).

The women’s final is set and it will be an American as Jessica Pegula beat Karolina Muchova to secure a place in the final. There was a small chance we could have an all-American final in New York as Emma Navarro was in the other semi-final but Aryna Sabalenka proved to be too good. The men’s match does have an all-American match but that will be in the semi-final meaning only one American will advance to the final.

It’s still a big moment for US tennis because it’s been a while since an American has been in the final of the US Open, as the last player to do so was Andy Roddick in 2006. This year it will be either Taylor Fritz or Frances Tiafoe. Both have played amazing tennis so far and have earned their place in the semifinals, so let’s take a look at how they did it.

Fritz had a pretty dominant run until the semifinals, only dropping a handful of sets against really good players. It started with an easy first round win over Carabelli (7-5, 6-1, 6-2), which he followed up with a 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-1 win over Matteo Berrettini, also in straight sets. This was a really strong performance that made a lot of people sit up and take notice. Fritz hadn’t been noticed that much leading up to the tournament because he hadn’t played quite well in Cincinnati before coming to New York, but this win showed that he means business. Won 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 against Francisco Comesana and beat Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. This win against Ruud was really dominant, as Fritz proved just how strong he can be. He eventually defeated Alexander Zverev in four sets 7:6(2), 3:6, 6:4, 7:6(3) to advance to his first US Open semifinal. Fritz has earned this spot as he has been playing solid tennis since the start of the tournament.

His opponent, Frances Tiafoe, had already reached a US Open semi-final, but he was unable to win. It was a spectacular match against Carlos Alcaraz, which the Spaniard won by a whisker, which shows how close Tiafoe really was. It was really close, and that is an experience he can draw on. His level in New York was more or less the same as at the Cincinnati Open, where he reached the final, losing only to Jannik Sinner. In that sense, his form at the US Open was no surprise. That he made it to the semi-finals again is a bit of a surprise, because we are not used to that from him. Nobody has ever doubted that Tiafoe has the talent, but far too often the American has said when it is the most important war. At Arthur Ashe Stadium, this happens a lot, and that is no surprise. This is a special place for him, one that is meaningful for any African-American player like himself. He has spoken about it many times, and the fact that the event is on American soil is a big help. If he could only choose one event he would like to win, it would be the US Open, and he is now two matches away from that dream. En route to the final, he beat Aleksandar Kovacevic in four sets, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.

He followed that up with a really solid win over Alexander Shevchenko, 6-4, 6-1, 1-0 RET. Ben Shelton proved to be Tiafoe’s biggest problem and it was a bit of a mental battle. Shelton had beaten Tiafoe last year and gave him clear problems in this match. He played pretty well again but Tiafoe was just caught up and although he didn’t have his best game he was able to find a solution and win the match 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3. That was a real confidence booster and he continues to be on the up. The match against Popyrin was one many wanted to see considering how well the Australian has been playing recently but Tiafoe handled that one with ease too, 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3. Finally, he defeated Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-1 RET in a hard-fought match that unfortunately ended after Dimitrov was injured. Overall, it was a very impressive run for the American, who now hopes to solve a very difficult puzzle of his own.

The head-to-head between the two is clearly in favor of Taylor Fritz, who has lost to Tiafoe just once in seven matches. That was a long time ago, when both were still at the very beginning of their careers, and they are so far removed from that reality that it doesn’t even make sense to mention it anymore. Recently, Fritz has beaten him four times since 2022. Some of those matches were close, some weren’t, but Tiafoe was never really close to winning any of them. That’s a big problem because when Fritz is in the mood he is this week and when he knows the matchup is in his favor, he’s unstoppable. He had a favorable fight against Matteo Berrettini and just crushed him. You could see in his eyes that he just knew he was going to win that match, and something similar could happen in this match as well. While the H2H isn’t a huge surprise, as most people would generally put Fritz above Tiafoe as a player, it doesn’t take into account the human aspect, and that’s what matters most in this sport. In that regard, there are a few things we need to consider, as they could have a big impact.

First of all, it’s common knowledge that Tiafoe is more popular in New York than Fritz. Even though crowd support should be evenly split, Tiafoe just has that crowd mojo that can put him above his opponents at certain moments. Two years ago, he wasn’t as good as Alcaraz, but he had him beat quickly because of his exuberant play and crowd support. Something similar could happen again, as he’s technically the underdog, but he’s also the more popular player overall, meaning the crowd will likely be cheering him on most of the time. The second reason is the importance of the court to Tiafoe. He’s played his best tennis on this court, and it’s not even close. None of their previous matches have taken place at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and while Fritz has been pretty dominant, Tiafoe is a much different player on Ashe. You can’t really count him out because he just finds something special here. These two things could turn this match on its head, and of course, since this is a Grand Slam semi-final, anything can happen.

Stylistically, it’s a better matchup for Fritz because he’s the better baseliner, and unless he finds his rhythm, Tiafoe won’t be able to do much. Returning has never been the American’s strong suit, although he has returned insanely well so far in New York. That’s something that could cause problems for Fritz, as he’s known for throwing a lot away when things aren’t going his way. Tiafoe’s serve will also play a big role. As long as he serves well, he’ll be in this match. The match against Dimitrov showed how good he can be when he serves well. It also showed that if you take away his first serve, there’s not much there. Fritz will certainly put a lot of pressure on the second serve with his superior baseline game, so a good serve will be very important for Tiafoe if he wants to win the match. Another thing to consider is how they’ve performed in the biggest matches.

Tiafoe had some problems with that, but again, there are two versions. On Ashe he was amazing, but outside of Ashe, not so much. Fritz was really good in general. When he plays well at a tournament, he either gets beat by a player better than him or he takes the trophy. It’s just a fantastic matchup where the little things will decide the win. Who has a better serve day? Who is better at returning that day? Things like that will decide which American will advance to the final. Spectators may have their favorites, but one of them will be there, and that’s what ultimately matters. US tennis is dreaming of a US winner at the US Open for the first time in many years. It’s possible on either side, and we’ll have to wait and see which players will defend the nation’s colors at the ATP tournament.