Frances Tiafoe Makes Blunt Rafael Nadal Admission at US Open

Frances Tiafoe advanced to the semifinals of the US Open on Sept. 3, marking the second time in three years that he reached this stage of the Grand Slam tournament.

Tiafoe's victory in the quarterfinals came after Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire in the fourth set due to a leg injury. At the time of Dimitrov's withdrawal, Tiafoe was leading 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-1.

With Tiafoe's win and Taylor Fritz's four-set victory over Alexander Zverev, two bets from the United States will square off in the semifinals, ensuring that an American will reach the men's final of the US Open for the first time since 2006.

The 26-year-old Tiafoe said he, Fritz and other young stars have been "knocking on doors" of greatness and looking to take the mantle from the "Big Three" of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Always with an infectious energy, Tiafoe also made a hilarious yet honest remark about Nadal.

"The game is open," Tiafoe said in a report from Sports Illustrated's Tim Capurso . "It's not like it once was where you make the quarterfinal and play Rafa and you're looking at flights. I mean that's the reality.

"Now, it's totally different. No one's unbeatable. Especially later in the season, guys are maybe a little bit cooked, just not as fresh, they're vulnerable."

Nadal didn't participate in this year's US Open, while Djokovic lost to Alexei Popyrin in the third round. It was the Serbian's earliest exit at Flushing Meadows since 2006.

Fast-rising sensation Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, was upset in the second round by Botic van de Zandschulp. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, however, is still alive and will face Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinal.

The last quarterfinal pairing is Jack Draper versus Alex de Minaur.

Tiafoe and Fritz will battle in the semifinal on Sept. 6. Fritz leads their head-to-head record, 6-1

Related: Rafael Nadal Makes Painful Admission About Retirement