Taylor Fritz has finally ended the 15-year drought for American tennis by securing a spot in a Grand Slam final. The 12th seed battled past his close friend and fellow American, Frances Tiafoe, in a hard-fought semi-final at the US Open, earning his first major final appearance. As Fritz gears up to face Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the final, he has made a bold admission that Sinner isn’t as intimidating as Tiafoe.

The last time American tennis saw Grand Slam success was in 2003 when Andy Roddick won at Flushing Meadows. More than twenty years later, as he gets ready to play top seed Jannik Sinner in the US Open final, Taylor Fritz has the opportunity to create his own legacy. Fritz recently acknowledged that against Frances Tiafoe, the difficult challenger he defeated in the semi-finals, he wasn’t the favorite.

He said, “I’ve always enjoyed playing Sinner, but I don’t think I’ll be in a more stressful position than I was against Tiafoe. I feel like I’ll go out there, play really well and win. When I play good tennis, I think the level is high enough to win. I didn’t think I was the favorite against Tiafoe, despite the 6-1 head-to-head record. It was a very stressful situation. It’s different from facing the world No. 1, against whom I’m probably not the favorite.”

Further, he also talked about Sinner, who will face him in the finals of the US Open. He added, “I’ve always played well against Jannik, even though it’s been a while since we last played. He shoots really hard, but I’ve always felt the ball well against him. I haven’t fully registered what happened yet. A final like that in the United States is a lifelong dream.” 

Taylor Fritz not only made it to his greatest career final, but he also made it back into the ATP Top 10. His current ranking is expected to go from No. 12 to No. 7 if he makes it to the US Open final and if he wins, his ranking might move even higher to No. 6.

Looking into their previous encounters, Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner are evenly matched with a 1-1 head-to-head record. Their two meetings took place at Indian Wells, where Fritz triumphed in the fourth round in 2021 with a straight-sets victory. In their subsequent clash though, Sinner got the better of Fritz in the quarterfinals in 2023, prevailing in a three-set battle.

While the stage is set for a thrilling showdown, Fritz opened up about achieving a historic feat.

It’s a Taylor Fritz ‘dream come true’ moment

Taylor Fritz stands just one win away from ending the United States’ 21-year wait for a male Grand Slam singles champion. After securing his place in the final, he poured his heart out in a heartfelt interview, reflecting on the significance of this moment for both himself and American tennis.

He stated, “It’s the reason I do what I do, the reason why I work so hard. I’m in the finals of the US Open. It’s a dream come true and I’m going to give it everything I possibly have. I know that for a fact.”

Taylor Fritz, only had one victory at the ATP Masters 1000, coming from Cincinnati and Montreal before he got to New York. Despite the challenge, his resilience and determination have propelled him to the final, where he aims to seize the moment and end the long wait for an American Grand Slam champion.