Hyattsville native Francis Tiafoe is on the brink of his best major performance ever and history.
On Friday night at 7 p.m., he will play one of the biggest matches of his career when he faces California native Taylor Fritz, ranked 12th in the world, in the first all-American U.S. Open men’s semi-final since 2005, guaranteeing that there will be an American man in the final for the first time since Andy Roddick in 2006.
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Tiafoe advanced to the semis for the second time in three years when Grigor Dimitrov retired in the 4th set of their quarterfinal match Tuesday night. Afterwards, Tiafoe said, “It’s the biggest match of me and Taylor’s life. We’ve known each other for so long.”
Whoever wins will be one win away from becoming the first American man to win the U.S. Open since Roddick’s 2003 triumph. Neither has ever played in a Grand Slam final. If Tiafoe – who grew up playing at the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park – beats Fritz and wins the final, he would become the first African-American male player to win the U.S. Open since Arthur Ashe, the namesake of the court they’re playing on, won in 1968.
The winner of Tiafoe-Fritz will play either top seed Jannik Sinner from Italy or Jack Draper from England who play at 3 p.m. Friday.
