This Taylor Fritz feat is indicative of his resolve

Better late than never.

It took Taylor Fritz nearly nine years since he turned pro to finally make a grand slam semifinal. By doing so at the 2024 U.S. Open, he became the oldest American in the Open Era to achieve the feat.

And when the San Diego native defeated Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinal on Tuesday, the emotions poured out of him , as he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"I've had a lot of looks at quarterfinals over the past couple of years. It was my time to take it a step further," an emotional Fritz said after the match.

Indeed, it was. Fritz had built a lot of momentum entering Flushing Meadows, reaching the QF at the Australian Open, the fourth round at Roland Garros and the QF at Wimbledon. The string of deep major runs made him the first American to reach the second week of all four slams in a year since 2003.

That recent form helped him against Zverev, a more accomplished opponent, at various points on Tuesday. Early in the third set, Zverev had all the momentum after he dominated the second set and started to wield his big-booming forehands, rendering the American helpless on some rallies. However, Fritz kept his composure by relying on his service game — he won 81 percent of his points on his first serve and an incredible 63 percent on the second (the highest among any player in the tournament).

Fritz was up against a more physically gifted player in Zverev, who covered more than 10 feet per point and looked ominous with his groundstrokes. Yet, the American stuck to his guns and waited for Zverev to make mistakes — a plan that worked perfectly in the fourth set that saw the German overhitting the ball and winning only 7/35 of his receiving points.

That Fritz showed so much composure was a far cry from his attitude on the Tour a few years ago. He had developed a reputation as a player with temperament issues, often inciting boos for his on-court antics.

He grew up, and the results are there for all to see. With a maiden major semifinal secured, Fritz is ready to take the next step.

"It's cool I'm in the semis, but I very much have the mindset of, 'The job’s not done,' and I keep taking it one match at a time like I've been all tournament and focus on the next match ahead of me," Fritz said after his win on Tuesday.

Fritz will face Frances Tiafoe in an all-American semifinal on Friday.