![]() It's going to be a great atmosphere, I think great representation for people of color, right? Two people of color playing in the quarterfinals, huge match on Arthur Ashe. "I'm just going to have to tame him down, try to be the vet and get the win. He's going to come out with a lot of energy. "Ben has wanted to play me at the Open for a long time," Tiafoe said on Sunday. Tiafoe said Shelton had been hoping for the matchup, and he was excited for the opportunity as well. Tiafoe and Shelton are friends but have never played each other on tour. He needed just two hours to close out Rinky Hijikata, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4, in the fourth round. Tiafoe has dropped just one set in New York so far this year and has been in firm control of every match he has played. While he didn't fare as well in the year's first three majors, he has won two titles this year, in Houston and Stuttgart, and cracked the top 10 for the first time. He promised the crowd he would return to the US Open and win it, and he's now three wins away. Fans were enamored by his never-quit attitude. He became a household name in 2022 when he upset Rafael Nadal in the fourth round and ultimately fell to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller. It took some time for him to reach that level again, but he did just that last year at the US Open. So I'm going to go out there and have fun and play my best tennis because I know when I do, I give myself a chance." Frances Tiafoeīest previous major result: 2022 US Open semifinalsĪ heralded junior player who burst onto the professional scene with sky-high expectations, it didn't take long for Tiafoe to achieve major success as he reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in 2019. "Novak's gotten me a lot, I think one of these times I'm going to get him so I'll keep trying," Fritz told the crowd. He acknowledged the match would be difficult during his on-court interview at Louis Armstrong Stadium after his fourth-round victory, but he said a win wasn't impossible. He has never defeated Djokovic in seven previous attempts, but he pushed him to five sets in the third round at the 2021 Australian Open. "I'm playing great but I'm not going to get ahead of myself," he said after his third-round victory over Jakub Mensik.īut Fritz will now have his toughest challenge of the summer against Djokovic, the 23-time major champion and three-time winner in Queens. As he's yet to drop a set all tournament, his strategy seems to be paying off. He said he felt pressure entering the US Open this year as a result of his recent success and less-than-stellar record at Slams but was trying to simply focus on one match at a time. He hadn't advanced past the third round at a major this year prior to coming to New York but had won two hard-court titles, including one in Atlanta. Since the start of 2022, Fritz has won five ATP titles - including at the Masters 1000-level Indian Wells in which he defeated Rafael Nadal in the final - and he reached his first quarterfinals at a Grand Slam at Wimbledon just months later. ![]() The top-ranked American man and 2015 US Open junior champion, Fritz advanced to his first quarterfinals in New York on Sunday with a straight-sets win over Dominic Stricker. Taylor Fritzīest previous major result: 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinals So who are the three American men who have a chance to snap the 20-year major title drought? Here's everything you need to know entering the quarterfinals. Tommy Paul, who lost to Shelton on Sunday, reached the semifinals at the Australian Open in January, and at least one American is guaranteed to at least match that result in Queens this week. The American women have remained a dominant force in the sport, with four women winning Slam titles since Roddick's triumph, and now, a new crop of talented young Americans has begun to turn the men's fortunes around.įor the first time in over a decade, two American men - Fritz and Tiafoe - are ranked in the top 10. No countryman has won a major title since Andy Roddick did so at the US Open in 2003, and none has reached a final since 2009. The American men's struggles have been well documented in recent years. It's been a resurgent season for the countrymen as a group. That achievement also makes this the first major since 1968 in which two Black American men (Tiafoe and Shelton) have reached this stage of the tournament. Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton all emerged victorious and will next play on Tuesday with semifinal berths on the line. NEW YORK - For the first time since 2005, three American men advanced to the quarterfinals of the US Open on Sunday. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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