Frances Tiafoe's New York magic once again couldn't quite carry him to the US Open title. After a heartbreaking five-set loss in the semifinals in 2022 and a tough quarterfinal loss in 2023, Tiafoe came up just one set short of the final Sunday yet again in 2024, falling to fellow American and childhood friend Taylor Fritz, 4-6 7-5 4-6 6-4 6-1.
After the match, Tiafoe reflected on the loss in the nail biting contest, according to Jennifer X. Williams of FOX 5 NY.
“This one’s going to hurt… I thought I was the better player tonight,” Tiafoe said, according to Williams in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Tiafoe was just two games away from winning the match and advancing to his first Grand Slam final at 4-4 in the fourth set, but a sloppy service game at 4-5 gave the fourth set to Fritz and leveled the match at two sets apiece. In the final set, Tiafoe appeared to run out of gas as Fritz hit his stride and closed the match out in convincing fashion.
Fritz now advances to Sunday's final to take on world No. 1 Jannik Sinner as the California native looks to collect his first Grand Slam title on home soil.
Taylor Fritz one match from breaking American male slam drought
When Taylor Fritz takes the court on Sunday, he will be carrying the weight of not just trying to win his first major, but trying to end a two-decade long drought in American men's tennis. No man from the United States has lifted any of the four Grand Slam trophies since Andy Roddick won the US Open back in 2003, and none have even been in the final of a major since Roddick in 2009.
Fritz already broke one of those two droughts, but will surely be looking to take home the hardware on Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium. However, his toughest challenge is still in front of him.
Jannik Sinner has been the best player in the world over the last year. The Italian currently has a massive lead in the points race for the No. 1 ranking and holds an astounding 74-7 record since last year's US Open. He has only lost two matches on hard courts all season. On the contrary, Sinner has picked up four hard court titles this year, including a major trophy at the Australian Open and a Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati just before this US Open began.
Fritz will come in as a sizable underdog, but he does have a bit of history to draw back on. Fritz and Sinner have met twice in their careers, both at the Indian Wells Masters 1000 tournament in Fritz's home state of California. In 2021, Fritz won in straight sets, and Sinner got his revenge in a tight three-setter in 2023.
Win or lose on Sunday, Fritz has officially brought American men's tennis back to the forefront of the sport. Now, he wants to bring it to the mountaintop.
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