Torrey Pines Alum Fritz Outlasts Tiafoe in 5 Sets, Will Face Top Seed for U.S. Open Title

Taylor Fritz will play in his first Grand Slam final after overpowering Frances Tiafoe in the fifth set of their Friday semifinal at the U.S. Open.

Fritz prevailed 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 to earn the right to face top seed Jannik Sinner of Italy in the final, at 11 a.m. Sunday.

The match, at three hours, 20 minutes, was a thriller through four sets as the Torrey Pines High alum, No. 12, down nearly from the start, chased No. 20 Tiafoe.

But an extended rally near the end of the fourth set appeared to tax Tiafoe, who also was having trouble with his serve.

Fritz quickly went up 4-0 in the final set and never looked back, winning eight straight points to clinch it. He closed out Tiafoe with an ace, his 11th on the day.

The friends, both 26, have played each other since the youth ranks. They set loyalty aside though to battle for the right to be the first American man to reach a U.S. Open final since 2006.

“It’s a dream come true,” an emotional Fritz told an on-court interviewer about making the final, “and I’m going to give it everything I possibly have. I know that for a fact.”

He cruised through the early rounds in New York, with three-set wins over a trio of unseeded players, Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Matteo Berrettini and Francisco Comesana.

Then he upended two higher seeds, No. 8 Casper Ruud, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, and No. 4 Alexander Zverev, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 in the round of 16 and the quarter-finals, leading to his match with Tiafoe, who played Friday in his second U.S. Open semifinal.

Sinner, the reigning Australian Open champ, easily won his semifinal Friday, 7-5, 7-6, 6-2, over Jack Draper.