Frances Tiafoe’s US Open run continues as he beats injured Grigor Dimitrov and will face Taylor Fritz in all-American semifinal

Several times during Tuesday’s US Open quarterfinal between Frances Tiafoe and Grigor Dimitrov, the Arthur Ashe Stadium camera panned to five-time tournament winner Roger Federer, almost as if to ask: who will rise to the occasion and place themselves alongside him in the history books?

The last two winners, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, have been already eliminated and while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner remains, the competition certainly now has a less obvious favorite than in previous years.

Tiafoe ensured he remained in the running with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 4-1 win over an eventually-retired Dimitrov- setting up an All-American semifinal vs. Taylor Fritz.

Sunday will mark the first time since Wimbledon 2009 that an American man plays in a Grand Slam singles final – and perhaps the occasion will usher in a new era of tennis in the USA as well.

‘Once we [the current generation of men’s players] all kind of turned pro, we all just pushed each other to want to be great,’ Tiafoe said after the match.

‘You know, sometimes unspoken; sometimes you speak about it. But, yeah, nobody wants to leave each other behind. It’s been a special thing to be a part of.’

Tiafoe, the world No. 20, won’t be considered the favorite to go the distance, but said there was a more ‘open’ feel to the sport now – hours after Fritz beat Alexander Zverev to break through to his first semifinal.

‘It’s not like it once was where you make quarterfinals, you play Rafa [Nadal], and you’re looking at flights,’ Tiafoe said.

‘I mean, that’s just the reality. Now it’s just totally different, you know. And no one’s unbeatable.’

That certainly proved to be the case on Tuesday as Tiafoe beat the wily Dimitrov. 

For all of the 33-year-old Dimitrov’s experience, it was Tiafoe, 26, who looked more assured as he started the match more aggressively and proved to be largely unbreakable on his service throughout the night.

Dimitrov’s age also showed itself in an unfortunate manner towards the end of the match, as he appeared to pick up an injury late in the third set and looked to be limping at times from there on. He said after that the last couple of days ‘have not been the easiest,’ and pointed to an ‘accumulation’ of stress on his body.

For Tiafoe, though, it’s a second US Open semifinal and he still deserves a level of credit for how he dealt with the world No. 9.

Tiafoe had successfully fought off some big hitters like Ben Shelton and Alexei Popyrin earlier in the tournament, but it was fair to wonder how he might deal with Dimitrov, a craftier sort of competitor known for his backhand slice.

The Maryland native passed that test convincingly though, and withstood a potentially momentum-sapping second set tiebreak loss to continue on in the tournament.

He gave Dimitrov some early warning signs as he took the Bulgarian’s first two service games to deuce, with Dimitrov looking passive and sloppy in the first set.

Tiafoe failed to get over the hump at that point but did so at his next chance after a volley at the net – raising his fist towards an Arthur Ashe crowd that does not want their summer romance with him to end.

It wasn’t long until he earned another break to win the set and seize control of the match.

The second set saw him face a sterner challenge from Dimitrov, who had previously seemed a bit of a passenger in this match.

While Tiafoe earned another early break to go up 3-1, the world No. 9 punched back to earn a break of his own and cut the lead to 4-3.

The Bulgarian, who committed 16 unforced errors in the first set, looked far more energized in the second as his slice backhand started to bother Tiafoe and extend rallies, and soon the results would show.

He crucially survived a break at 4-4 with an eventual drop shot at the net – a moment which showed the sort of guile Tiafoe was battling with. But the American was up to the challenge to play that sort of game, as he won the next game with a backhand slice of his own, before both players ultimately held serve twice more to set up a pivotal tiebreak.

There, it was Dimitrov who – barely – withstood the pressure, eking out a 7-5 advantage after he had twice double-faulted from 6-3, as Tiafoe doubled himself to end the set.

Those serving woes proved to be prophetic for Dimitrov as he doubled faulted two of the last three points of the third set, after Tiafoe had earned an earlier break to go up 3-2.

And his service struggles again reared their head as he sent the second game of the fourth set to a deuce after a double fault – before he was again broken – and there was no comeback from there as he later pulled out through injury.

Now, Tiafoe’s focus will turn to Friday’s matchup vs. Fritz – a close friend and the top ranked American man in tennis.

It’s unlikely to be short on entertainment. 

‘It’s going to be epic,’ Tiafoe said. ‘Popcorn, do what you got to do. It’s going to be a fun one come Friday.’