Taylor Fritz became the first American to reach the final of a men’s singles Grand Slam event since 2009, when he beat compatriot Frances Tiafoe in a thrilling semi-final at the 2024 US Open on Friday night in New York.
Fritz will take on Italy’s Jannik Sinner, the top seed, who beat Britain’s 25th seed Jack Draper in the first semi-final on Friday.
Sinner has been playing at the US Open with the shadow of his recent doping controversy still looming large. But he managed to quell Draper’s challenge in a three-hour and three-minute match that he won 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2.
This will be the second Grand Slam final for Sinner, who had won the Australian Open earlier this year.
The Italian became world No 1 later at the French Open but just before the US Open, it was revealed that he had failed two dope tests but was still cleared to compete while investigations took place behind the scenes.
Just a week before the US Open, a day after Sinner won the Cincinnati Masters, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced that it had cleared the Italian player of “any wrongdoing” raising concerns among players about favouritism.
Sinner however, has managed to keep his mind clear on court and is now through to the final.
First American since Roddick
Fritz has become the first American men’s singles player to reach a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick had reached the summit clash at Wimbledon in 2009.
On Friday, Fritz came had to overcome a set-deficit twice before beating Tiafoe in five sets, 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Despite the five sets, the match lasted three hours and 18 minutes, just 15 more than Sinner’s three-set win.
This will be Fritz’s first Grand Slam final. He had won the Junior Boys US Open title in 2015.
