Taylor Fritz will try to make history at the 2024 US Open while chasing the first Grand Slam title for American men in 21 years. However, he has a tough task ahead of him as he will have to get through world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Fritz arrived to this tournament as the top-seeded American man, but he had never gone further than a quarterfinal in any Grand Slam. He finally broke through to become the first American man to make a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009. A win by Fritz on Sunday would be the first since Roddick won the US Open in 2003.
Making the title match was not an easy accomplishment for Fritz as he had to beat fellow American Frances Tiafoe in a five-set semifinal in order to advance. Fritz won the first three games but his opponent quickly found his rhythm and it soon became a very competitive battle.
Tiafoe won two of the first three sets, but a 31-shot rally in the fourth became the turning point. Fritz won that rally and it seemed to inject more energy into him. Meanwhile, Tiafoe started to run out of gas. Fritz won 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 and said facing Tiafoe in the semifinal gave him a boost of confidence.
“To be honest, I don’t think that I’m going to be put in a more stressful situation than I was [Friday] than playing in a final,” Fritz said. “I think today was much more stressful for me than playing the final. I just feel good,” Fritz said. “I have a feeling I’m going to come out and play really well and win. When I play good tennis, I think that level is good enough to win.”
Where to watch Sinner vs. Fritz
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 8 | Time: 2 p.m. ET
- Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium — Queens, New York
- TV: ABC
- Stream: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
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Fritz was also boosted by a quarterfinal win over No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev.
Fritz and Sinner are 1-1 all-time, but both of those meetings have been at Indian Wells so this will be their first encounter at a major.
“I’ve always played well against Jannik,” Fritz said. “He strikes, he hits the ball big. Very strong ball striker, but I feel like I always hit the ball really nice off of his ball.”
Sinner has been the one to beat all season and is 5-0 in tour-level finals this calendar year. He won his first major title in January at the Australian Open which, like the US Open, is played on a hardcourt surface.
The Italian star earned his ticket to the title match at Flushing Meadows after a chaotic 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 win against No. 25 Jack Draper, who had won 15 consecutive sets ahead of the semifinals.
Draper was visibly sick and vomited a few times throughout the match. It didn’t help that it was a hot and humid afternoon in New York. The second set was particularly drama-filled with Sinner taking a concerning fall where he appeared to injure his wrist. Both players saw physios at the same time. After his win, Sinner said he is not concerned about his wrist being an issue on Sunday.
“The physio loosened it up very fast on court, so after I felt OK in the beginning. Then after it went away by playing, which is good,” Sinner said in his post-match press conference on Friday. “Hopefully is nothing to concern about. I’m quite relaxed, because if it’s something bad, you feel it straightaway a bit more.”
That is good news for him because Sunday could be another physical match. Sinner has had a great season, but he knows Fritz can’t be taken lightly.
“Big serve, very solid player from the back of the court,” Sinner said. “He can hit strong, he can hit with rotation. He can mix up the game very well. He has played a lot this year so he has a lot of rhythm.”
The 2024 US Open men’s final will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It will be available on ESPN.
No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s journey to the semifinals
- First round: def. Mackenzie McDonald 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2
- Second round: def. Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-0, 6-2
- Third round: def. Christopher O’Connell 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
- Round of 16: def. No. 14 Tommy Paul 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
- Quarterfinal: def. No. 5 Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4
- Semifinal: def. No. 25 Jack Draper 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
No. 12 Taylor Fritz’s journey to the semifinals
- First round: def. Camilo Ugo Carabelli 7-5, 6-1, 6-2
- Second round: def. Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 7-6(7-1), 6-1
- Third round: def. Francisco Comesana 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
- Round of 16: def. No. 8 Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
- Quarterfinal: def. No. 4 Alexander Zverev 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)
- Semifinal: def. No. 20 Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
