Current:Home > InvestUS Open: Tiafoe, Fritz and Navarro reach the semifinals and make American tennis matter again-VaTradeCoin
US Open: Tiafoe, Fritz and Navarro reach the semifinals and make American tennis matter again
lotradecoin spot trading tutorial View Date:2024-12-25 23:06:56
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.
“Times I’m playing really bad, or whatever the case may be, and he’s doing it, or vice versa, I think we have kind of always pushed each other,” said Tiafoe, who’s known Fritz since they were participating in 14-and-under tournaments more than a decade ago. “Now I think it’s great that we get to compete against each other in such a big match, and I’m happy for him. I know he’s happy for me.”
This sort of thing has seemed to be on the horizon for a bit for American men, thanks to a generation that includes the 20th-seeded Tiafoe and 12th-seeded Fritz, along with Tommy Paul, and two younger players also in their 20s, Ben Shelton and Sebastian Korda. All five are ranked in the ATP top 20.
There also are five U.S. women in the WTA top 20, including Emma Navarro, who reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows with a win on Tuesday to follow up her upset of 2023 champion Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula, who was scheduled to face No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland in the quarterfinals Wednesday night.
Not since 1996 has the United States had five women and five men ranked this highly all at the same time.
“It’s great for American tennis,” said Navarro, a 23-year-old who was born in New York, grew up in South Carolina and won an NCAA title for the University of Virginia as a freshman in 2021. “Of course I want to see myself and my fellow Americans go as far as we can go in the tournament.”
This is a country that produced the Williams sisters and their combined 30 Grand Slam singles titles, other stars such as Chris Evert and Billie Jean King, plus more recent major champions and runners-up such as Gauff, Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin, Madison Keys and Danielle Collins. The country’s men went from the grand tradition of the likes of Don Budge and Bill Tilden way back in the day to multiple Slam champs like Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe — but the last major men’s winner, famously, was Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open, making the current drought for the group by far the longest in history.
“The standard is always going to be a Grand Slam champion,” said Martin Blackman, the head of the U.S. Tennis Association’s player development program since 2015. “That will always be the standard for American tennis.”
But it had been a while since the men even were coming close.
When Tiafoe reached the final four in New York two years ago, beating 22-time Slam champion Rafael Nadal along the way, it was the first time since Roddick in 2006 that a male semifinalist at the U.S. Open was from the host country. Roddick got to the final that year before losing to — guess who? — Federer.
At the next major after Tiafoe’s breakthrough, the 2023 Australian Open, Paul made it to the semifinals before losing to Novak Djokovic. And at last year’s U.S. Open, Shelton was a semifinalist, eliminating Tiafoe in the quarterfinals before losing to Djokovic.
“(I) was always genuinely just really happy for my friends to see them have the success,” said Fritz, who was 0-4 in Slam quarters before getting past two-time major runner-up Alexander Zverev in four sets Tuesday. “And if anything, it always gave me the confidence that I can do it, too.”
Two of his quarterfinal exits were against Djokovic, and one was against Nadal.
With Federer, 43, retired, Nadal, 38, playing sparingly after hip surgery and other injuries ( and not in New York ), and Djokovic, 37, going through his first season since 2017 without at least one Grand Slam trophy, there are more chances for new faces.
“We’ve spoken about it for years: ‘This is the group. This is the group.’ We openly speak about it. We’ve all been knocking on the door,” Tiafoe said. “You put yourself in positions, it’s only a matter of matter of time. And the game is open. It’s not like it once was, where you make quarterfinals, you play Rafa, and you’re looking at flights.”
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
veryGood! (577)
Related
- American who says he crossed into Syria on foot is freed after 7 months in detention
- Ex-Detroit-area prosecutor pleads guilty after embezzling more than $600K
- The Bachelorette's Gabby Windey Debuts Romance With Comedian Robby Hoffman
- These Top-Rated Amazon Tote Bags Are the Best Backpack Alternatives for School, Work & the Gym
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Dropping Hints
- Kidnapped American nurse fell in love with the people of Haiti after 2010 quake
- Here’s a look at some of Louisiana’s new 2023 laws
- Too Hot to Handle’s Georgia Hassarati Calls Out Ex-Boyfriend Harry Jowsey for Cheating Allegations
- We can't get excited about 'Kraven the Hunter.' Don't blame superhero fatigue.
- Ex-Detroit-area prosecutor pleads guilty after embezzling more than $600K
Ranking
- Luigi Mangione's Lawyer Speaks Out in UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder Case
- FBI: Over 200 sex trafficking victims, including 59 missing children, found in nationwide operation
- Trucking works to expand diversity, partly due to a nationwide shortage of drivers
- Video shows bear trying to escape California heat by chilling in a backyard jacuzzi
- See Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's Twins Monroe and Moroccan Gift Her Flowers Onstage
- Video footage, teamwork with police helped find man accused of firing at Jewish school in Memphis
- Utah law requiring age verification for porn sites remains in effect after judge tosses lawsuit
- James Larkin, Arizona executive who faced charges of aiding prostitution, dead at 74
Recommendation
-
China's ruling Communist Party expels former chief of sports body
-
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver dies; Gov. Phil Murphy planning return to U.S.
-
Police search for teen in fatal stabbing of NYC dancer
-
RHOBH's Erika Jayne Addresses Ozempic Use Speculation Amid Weight Loss
-
Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death and fled to Eastern Europe is in custody, online records show
-
29 inches of rain from Saturday to Wednesday was Beijing’s heaviest rainfall in 140 years
-
Proof Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s California Home Is Far From Ordinary
-
Pope Francis can expect to find heat and hope in Portugal, along with fallout from sex abuse scandal