As a massive opportunity to finally reach his first grand slam semi-final came into view, Taylor Fritz refused to let the moment pass him by. He threw himself inside the baseline, desperately trying to take the initiative and impose his weapons on the match. Even when he sprayed unforced errors on key break points and offered his opponent, Alexander Zverev, chances to take command, Fritz was determined to control his own destiny until the end.
Fritz, the highest ranked player in the US, was rewarded for his courage as he marched into a grand slam semi-final for the first time in his career on home soil at the US Open, toppling Zverev, the fourth seed, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
In a remarkable tournament that has completely opened up after early exits for Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, leaving the rest of the tour fighting to take advantage, this match-up was a particularly notable encounter. Zverev and Fritz were born just six months apart in 1997 and they both reached No 1 in the junior rankings, transitioning to the professional tour as two of the most hyped players of their generation.
While Zverev rapidly broke through, it has taken Fritz some time to catch up. He was still ranked outside the top 100 when Zverev won his first Masters 1000 title in 2017 and it would take the 26-year-old another five years to break into the top 20.
While Fritz possesses an excellent first serve and is solid off the ground, he is far from a natural athlete like Zverev. He has had to work tirelessly to find ways to be effective in other ways, becoming more comfortable with taking control of the baseline with his forehand, making steady improvements with his movement over a long period of time and learning how to battle in the tight moments. Even after reaching the top 10, it has taken Fritz even longer to be effective at grand slam tournaments. In his third grand slam quarter-final of the year, he took another step forward in his development.
For Zverev, meanwhile, this match encapsulated his on-court difficulties. Zverev has enjoyed an extremely accomplished career, winning six Masters 1000 titles, the ATP Finals, an Olympic gold medal and reaching two grand slam finals.
Although his achievements suggest that he should also be a grand slam title winner, Zverev’s head has often failed him in the biggest moments of his career. Despite striking more winners than Fritz throughout the match, 52 in total, Zverev cowered in all of the most important moments, retreating far behind the baseline and hoping for misses that never came.
Every year, the plight of American men’s tennis is one of the pressing subjects at the US Open, the shadows of both Andy Roddick’s 2003 triumph – the last time a US man won a grand slam title – and the long history of extraordinary US male tennis players looming over the draws. But in recent years, the narrative has changed as this generation of US tennis players has enjoyed modest success.
The US Open began with five US male players ranked inside the top 20 – Fritz, Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda and Frances Tiafoe. While none of them are yet to produce a truly spectacular achievement, they have continued to improve and many of them are arriving at their peak years at exactly the right time as the tour opens up in the post-big three era.
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Instead of facing a multiple grand slam title winner with years of experience, Fritz will face either the ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov or his compatriot Tiafoe, seeded 20th, who will battle overnight. Regardless of the outcome, there will be a first-time grand slam finalist this year in New York.
Meanwhile, Emma Navarro continued her breakout run in New York, the city of her birth, as the 23-year-old followed up her win against Coco Gauff by defeating another former top-two player, Paula Badosa, 6-2, 7-5 to reach a grand slam semi-final for the first time in her career.
