Primetime under the light! For the first in almost 19 years, we’re going to witness an all-American clash at the SF of the men’s singles event at the US Open. The countdown has already started. Taylor Fritz will face Frances Tiafoe in a high-voltage clash at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in just a few hours from now. Whoever wins this match will become the first American man to appear in the finals of the singles event of the US Open since Andy Roddick in 2006. So, there’s a lot at stake in this match! Who’ll win the higher-ranked Californian or the Floridan who’s now a two-time semifinalist at the US Open? “Let the best man win come Friday. It’s going to be epic….It’s going to be a fun one come Friday,” said ‘Big Foe’.

Taylor Fritz vs Frances Tiafoe: Preview

This is Taylor Fritz‘s first SF appearance at a major event. He started this tournament with three comfortable victories in his first three matches. However, he faced a tough fight against Norway’s Casper Ruud in the R16, and then again in the QF, he took four sets to beat the world number 4, Alexander Zverev. Fritz has now four ATP Top 10 major wins, the most by an American in one year since Andre Agassi (1999). Apart from his gritty run in NY, if we look at his records this season, Taylor Fritz has already won 2 titles in 2024.

However, Frances Tiafoe has come close to winning a title this year on several occasions, but he has failed to deliver when it mattered the most. In this tournament, out of his five matches, he has won only one match in straight sets. It was against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko in the R2. Shevchenko was forced to retire when he was trailing by 4-6,1-6,0-1. Surprisingly, even in the QF, Frances Tiafoe was given a walkover by Grigor Dimitrov. Tiafoe has been brave in this tournament and perhaps that’s why fortune has favored him in NY!

Fritz vs Tiafoe: Head-to-Head

Both the players have met each other seven times in their careers so far. Currently, Taylor Fritz leads the H2H scoreline by a 6-1 margin. What does Tiafoe think of this massive gap with the number 12? “It’s different on Ashe, man. It’s different,” he said. They haven’t yet faced each other at the US Open, so this is what makes this contest more interesting.

• 2016 Indian Wells Masters R128: Tiafoe 6-3,2-6,6-3.
• 2016 Winston-Salem R64: Fritz 6-1,6-4.
• 2019 Paris Masters R64: Fritz 7-6(6),3-6,6-4.
• 2022 Australian Open R64: Fritz 6-4,6-3,7-6(5).
• 2022 Canadian Open R32: Fritz 5-7,6-1,6-4.
• 2022 Japan Open Final: Fritz 7-6(3),7-6(2).
• 2023 Mexican Open QF: Fritz 6-3,6-4

Prediction: Fritz to win in five sets

This match has all the ingredients to go deep! We have already heard that Frances Tiafoe doesn’t really care about the past records against Taylor Fritz. Even Fritz admitted his opponent in the SF is a “tough man, tough player“.

So, they have already set the stage on fire and now it’s time for us to enjoy this epic clash. Taylor Fritz is currently ranked 12th in the world and he has a win-loss record of 41-16. On the other hand, Tiafoe is ranked 20th in the world at the moment and he has a win-loss record of just 29-20 in this season. Looking at these numbers, Fritz looks ahead, right?

However, we all know ‘Big Foe’ loves big courts like the Ashe and this iconic venue gives him a very good chance than just about anywhere else. Whereas, Fritz is more of an Armstrong player and he likes the more intimate environment in the stadium. However, we must not forget his performance against Zverev in the previous match.

If we look at their playing styles, Frances Tiafoe has an aggressive offensive game style. He loves hitting big serves and can also generate some real power behind his forehands. In his five matches, he has hit 45 aces in this tournament. His unusual forehand, which carries heavy topspin and is driven by an unusual arm motion, can be a bit troublesome for Taylor Fritz. Apart from that, Tiafoe is also a good returner of the serve.

Taylor Fritz, on the other hand, is more of an offensive baseliner. His groundstrokes are extremely powerful and penetrating. With the help of these, he can force errors out of his opponents with ease. However, his biggest weapons are his forehand and incredible serving abilities. So, far in this season he has hammered 538 aces and committed just 77 double faults. He also has a good topspin lob. Another thing that is very special in his game is that he has a unique ability to hit sharp-angled cross-court shots on both the backhand and forehand side.

Now, looking at their form this season and the superiority in the H2H, we are keeping Fritz slightly ahead in this contest. However, at the same time, we are also expecting some real fight from Tiafoe’s end as well. So, it’s going to be a nail-biting matchup!