US Open 2024 Day Twelve Semi Final Recap

Will there finally be an American Grand Slam champion after a 20-year wait? It’s possible, as Taylor Fritz will face Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s 2024 US Open final.

In the day’s first semi-final, Sinner shook off a second set tumble on his left wrist to defeat Jack Draper 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-2 in a quite physical but otherwise straightforward match.

The night session featured the all-American showdown as Taylor Fritz battled past Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 to make his first Grand Slam final.

US Open Day 12 Semi-Final Results

Sinner Dispatches Draper

Jannik Sinner is into his first US Open final after coming through a hard-fought match against Jack Draper. The Italian showed his class in a physical encounter before coming through 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Draper entered the match with a 1-0 lead in the H2H, albeit from a few years ago. He started the match at a high intensity and matched Sinner from the back of the court.

Draper’s lefty serve and heavy forehand worked nicely in the opening exchanges to open up the court. However, Sinner’s ball striking off both wings is a sight to behold, and he captured the first break to lead 4-3.

Draper was able to break straight back, and at 5-5, a tiebreak looked imminent, yet a sixth double fault of the set allowed Sinner to break before serving it out for a 1-set lead.

In the second, Draper began to struggle more with the muggy conditions. He complained that he could not keep hold of the racket due to sweat and faced a break point in his first three service games.

The Brit has been known to struggle physically when matches get tough, and in the ninth game, he vomited at the back of the court. 

Then, with Draper serving at 40-15, Sinner tracked down a forehand, but as he threw up a lob, he stumbled, bracing himself with his left arm. However, he bounced straight back and ripped a winner off a Draper smash. Only to be left wincing at the wrist rather than celebrating the point.

At the next point, he delivered a weak backhand return, and at the changeover, the physio was called to examine the injury. A physio also attended to Draper.

On resumption, Sinner didn’t seem too clever on his backhand wing, but a tiebreak ensued after the pair traded holds.

Sinner took his game up a notch in the breaker, jumping to a 4-0 lead, and he was soon into a two-set lead. Draper was less effective in the third, and an early break quashed his hopes of a comeback.

Overall, Sinner wasn’t at his best, but he was still too solid for the Brit, firing 43 winners and physically looking the stronger of the two as the match wore on.

I thought Draper played decently enough, but he was second-best in all areas. After exerting himself to keep things close, his Achilles heel, which appears to be stamina, caught up with him. If he can sort that out, then he will be very tough to beat based on how he hits the ball, but currently, opponents are aware that if they stick around long enough, they’ll probably outlast him.

Jack and I know each other very well. We are friends off the court. It was a very physical match, as we saw, and I just tried to stay there mentally. He is so tough to beat, and it is a very special occasion. I am happy to be in the final here. Regarding the wrist, the physio loosened it up very fast on court, so after I felt okay in the beginning. Then after it went away by playing, which is good. Let’s see how it is tomorrow when it’s cold. It’s gonna be a different feeling. Hopefully is nothing to concern about. I’m quite relaxed, because if it’s something bad, you feel it straightaway a bit more. Sinner on his win and wrist.

Match Stats

Highlights

Fritz Fights Past Tiafoe

Taylor Fritz is on the cusp of ending the United States’ 21-year wait for a male Grand Slam singles champion after defeating fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Friday evening to reach his first Grand Slam final at the US Open.

The twelfth seed won 25 of the 34 points in the deciding set and secured eight of the final nine games to complete his victory in three-hour and 18-minute.

The last American to win a Grand Slam singles title was the once maverick, now sanctimonious political hack, Andy Roddick. He triumphed at Flushing Meadows in 2003 before Federer eliminated his chances of replicating that feat.

Fritz entered the US Open without a great deal of form, and for two-thirds of the semi-final, he was somewhat outplayed by Tiafoe, who produced a typical swashbuckling type tennis that thrived off the fervent New York crowd.

When Tiafoe led two sets to one, it appeared he had one foot in the final. However, after nine games in the fourth set without a breakpoint, Tiafoe mishit a forehand, giving Fritz a set point. Tiafoe then missed a crucial forehand drop shot, which allowed Fritz to send the clash into a deciding set.

In the final set, Fritz seized the momentum decisively. He broke Tiafoe’s serve with a powerful backhand return in the opening game. A double break was soon secured, and although he dropped one of them, it was recovered again as he captured the fifth set 6-1 as Tiafoe had lost that spring in his step.

During the fortnight, Fritz has shown that he can play steadily over tough matches without becoming too flustered.

For large parts of the match, Tiafoe was forcing the issue, but Fritz maintained his composure and never panicked. I also think Fritz’s second serve is very effective, and he does a stellar job behind that shot compared to Tiafoe.

Also, at the Laver Cup in 2022, when Fedal played doubles against Tiafoe, I remember Djokovic advising them during a changeover to get on top of Tiafoe and saying that they needed to extend the rallies. Fritz’s coach, Michael Russell, basically told him the same thing: stick with what he was doing despite being down in the score.

I felt I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I was just getting overwhelmed. I was freaking out a little bit and [coach Michael Russell] told me to keep doing what I was doing, accept it was okay and keep making him do it. That helped to calm me down and let me know I was doing the right thing. He was overwhelming from the baseline so much, taking the ball so early, changing lines so well. I just told myself to stay in it, fight to hold my serve and apply scoreboard pressure as much as possible. I told myself if I didn’t give it absolutely everything I had and stick with it and see if his level might drop a little bit, I would regret it for a long time. Fritz on his win.

Match Stats

Highlights

US Open 2024 Final