US Open: Tiafoe, Fritz, Pegula and Navarro reach the semifinals and make US tennis matter again
It's been 21 years since an American man won a Grand Slam title, but the country is guaranteed a male finalist at the U.S. Open this weekend
NEW YORK (AP) — To hear Frances Tiafoe tell it, Taylor Fritz predicted this sort of moment for the two of them.
And for American men's tennis.
It was during an early morning plane ride together a few years ago that the conversation turned to the future and possibilities, Tiafoe recounted after setting up a U.S. Open semifinal on Friday against Fritz, another 26-year-old American, that guarantees the United States will have a man in a Grand Slam title match for the first time since Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.
“He's a pretty to-himself kind of dude, and he’s, like, ‘Bro, I think me and you are going to be the 1-2 Americans and leading the way.' ... I was, like, ’Dang, dude, (it's) 6 a.m., I’m pretty tired, but let’s do it.' Why not? He's kind of had that mindset, and he’s pushed me a lot, you know what I mean?” Tiafoe, who is from Maryland, said about the chat with longtime pal Fritz, a Californian.
