The Drought Is Over: An American Man Is Finally Going To Play In A Grand Slam Final Again

The last time an American man played in the final of a Grand Slam, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz weren't even teenagers. Now, the two have re-written history with one of them set to advance to the final of the U.S. Open.

Fritz was the first to punch his ticket to the semifinals with a win over fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev on Tuesday before Tiafoe got the best of ninth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov later that night, setting up a must-watch match for American tennis fans on Friday.

The all-American semifinal match marks the first time since 2005 two U.S. men have faced off in the semifinal round of a Grand Slam, and whoever advances will become the first American man to play in a Grand Slam final since 2009.

Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer in the final of Wimbledon all of those years ago.

Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will face off in an all-American semifinal at the U.S. Open. Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Following his win over Dimitrov on Tuesday night, Tiafoe made it clear that this moment he and Fritz find themselves in has long been the goal. Now, it's time to get over the hump and have an American man finally hoist a Grand Slam trophy again, and with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic already out of the tournament, the chances may be as high as they've been in well over a decade.

"Yeah, me, Taylor [Fritz], Tommy [Paul], Reilly [Opelka], we’ve spoken about it for years, this is the group, this is the group. You know, we openly speak about it. I think we all been knocking on the door…. It’s only a matter of time," Tiafoe explained.

"You put yourself in positions, it’s only a matter of time. And the game is open. It’s not like it once was where you make quarterfinals, you play Rafa [Nadal], and you’re looking at flights. I mean, that’s just the reality. Now it’s just totally different, you know. And no one’s unbeatable."

As for the other side of the bracket, No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner takes on Daniil Medvedev in a quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday. Medvedev won the U.S. Open back in 2021 while Sinner picked up his first Grand Slam title earlier this season in 2024.

Whether it be Sinner or Medvedev advancing to the semifinal, they'll be the favorite in that match and the final if chalk plays out the rest of the way.