Taylor Fritz of the United States beat fourth seed Alexander Zverev 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3) to reach his first US Open semi-final.
The United States hasn’t had a men’s champion on home court since Andy Roddick 21 years ago and Fritz’s win over former runner-up Zverev further boosted hopes of doing so this year.
Fritz beat Zverev on grass at Wimbledon in an epic five-setter earlier this summer and this time, with the added bonus of the home crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, he needed just four.
The 26-year-old will play either Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov or fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the final four.
Nothing could separate the two players in a tight opening set. Zverev found himself in a hole when 0-40 down while remaining in the set but the German eventually recovered to force a tie-break, although one Fritz would eventually take.
Zverev returned with a different racket, producing one of the best shots of the tournament when he fired a forehand from the corner over the net that rolled back and over the side and baseline.
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Alexander Zvevev hits this incredible forehand at the net against American Taylor fritz at the US Open. Is it taken from the tournament?
That put a spring in Zverev’s step and broke at 4-3 before serving out the second set to level the match, but Fritz returned the favor early in the third when he converted the first break point before racing into a 3-0 lead.
Although Zverev broke back, he was again forced to save set points after a series of nervous errors before Fritz eventually took the third.
With no break in the fourth round, Fritz won again in the tie-break as Zverev once again failed to break the key points before the American cruised to one of the biggest wins of his career.
Fritz: I feel like today is my time
Taylor Fritz, speaking at courtside after the victory:
“I’ve seen a lot of Grand Slam quarterfinals over the past few years, and today felt different.
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Taylor Fritz says he feels it’s time to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final, after defeating Alexander Zverev at the US Open.
“I did it right here on this court, at the US Open in front of this crowd.
“You get to a point at the top of your game where you serve less, so I’ve been trying to improve a lot of my game.
“I’ve tried to come to the net a little, to make some drop shots, and add things to the game so that I can back up my password better.”
Navarro rode a second-set turnaround into the semifinals
Emma Navarro was the other American to taste success in the quarter-finals on Tuesday, the 13th seed beating Spain’s Paula Badosa 6-2 7-5 to reach the final four of a Grand Slam for the first time.
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Emma Navarro beat Paula Badosa 6-2 7-5 to advance to the semifinals at the US Open.
Trailing 5-1 in the second set and three points from what should have been a decider, Navarro won the next four points to stay alive, starting a stretch where he won 24 of the last 28 points of the match to stun Badosa.
Navarro, who beat defending champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round, ran away with the first set in 29 minutes before 26th seed Badosa looked back in the second set.
But Navarro broke the Spaniard in the next game and rode a stunning second round to the semi-finals.
The 23-year-old became the sixth player in the past 40 years to reach the US Open semifinals without winning the main draw at the tournament, after Steffi Graf (1985), Venus Williams (1997), Yanina Wickmayer (2009). , Bianca Andreescu (2019) and Emma Raducanu (2021).
Navarro will next face No. 2 seed and two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka or seventh seed and Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng.
Navarro: I think he wasn’t sure about closing out the second set
Emma Navarro, speaking after her victory:
“It didn’t look good in the second set, but just trying to be really tough, staying in there, making them get the ball back.
“I think if I can back off a little bit and get her thinking about her service game, maybe I can sneak back in.
“Even though he was up 5-1, after I got back to 5-2, I felt a bit unsure of his ability to close out the set.
“I just want to stay strong and stay there. I can’t see the future, but maybe today I can do a little bit. Even if I lose the second set, I want to set the tone for the third set.
“I’m just really happy with my performance today and it’s crazy to go to the semi-finals. US Open, baby!”
What’s coming to Sky Sports Tennis in September?
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Find all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA tours.
- Jasmin Open, Tunisia – WTA 250 (September 9-15)
- Guadalajara Open, Mexico – WTA 500 (September 9-15)
- Korea Open – WTA 500 (September 16 -22 – with Emma Raducanu in action)
- Thailand Open – WTA 250 (September 16-22)
- Chengdu Open, China – ATP 250 (September 18-24)
- Hangzhou Open, China – ATP 250 (September 18-24)
- China Open – WTA 1000 (September 25 – October 6)
- Japan Open – ATP 500 (25 Sep – 1 Oct)
- China Open – ATP 500 (26 Sep – 2 Oct)
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, the NOW streaming service and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports subscribers access to more than 50 per cent of live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
