Tiafoe, who grew up in Maryland, produced a performance just as strong, if not stronger, than the one the 24-year-old used in the fourth round to eliminate 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal. “Man, man, this is wild. This is crazy. I had the biggest win of my life 24 hours ago. … This is a huge growth. It’s hard to turn the page,” said Tiafoe, the No. 22 seed who he is the first black American to reach the semi-finals of the US Open since Arthur Ashe in 1972. Then, looking ahead and making sure everyone knows this big milestone isn’t enough to satisfy him, Tiafoe added: “Let’s enjoy this. We’ve got two more, guys. We’ve got two more.” 1: US men’s first Open quarterfinal win since early 2007 thanks to Tiafoe. The US men were 0-7 heading into Wednesday4: Tiafoe’s first-set tiebreak wins at this year’s Open, tied for the most ever by a man at the event since 1970 (when tiebreaks were introduced here)6: American men to reach the semifinals of a major since 2004 (Agassi, Ginepri, Roddick, Isner, Querrey, Tiafoe)6-0: Tie-break record for Tieafoe at this year’s Open, 1 shy of the most by any man in a single Open since 197016: Years between Open semifinal appearances by an American (Roddick in 2006, then Tiafoe)89: Tiafoe’s first serve percentage, 2nd highest in any major match of his career100-1: Pre-tournament odds for Tiafoe to win the Open Andy Roddick was the last American to reach the semifinals in New York when he lost to Roger Federer in the title match 16 years ago. Roddick was also the last man from the country to win any Grand Slam singles championship, taking the US Open in 2003. Entering this year’s US Open, American men have gone 74 consecutive majors since Roddick won in 2003, the longest major title drought by US men in tennis history. Among active American men, Tiafoe is now only the second to reach a major semifinal, tying John Isner (2018 Wimbledon). Tiafoe’s first career Grand Slam semifinal will be Friday against No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz or No. 11 Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz and Sinner face off on Wednesday night. Tiafoe played aggressive, aggressive tennis and used 18 aces along with a powerful volley to dispatch No. 9 Rublev, a Russian player who fell to 0-6 in major quarterfinals. Tiafoe earned 31 of 41 points when he went to the net. Rublev only ventured 11 times. Raindrops began to fall shortly before the start of the Tiafoe vs. Rublev match, so they stood around waiting for the retractable roof to close. This resulted in both a cool, airless environment and a louder scene, with applause and chants from fans echoing through what became a closed court — conditions that favored Tiafoe. The match was dominated by both men — the only break of serve came more than two hours later, when Tiafoe took a 4-3 lead in the third set and then mostly stayed still on the court, enjoying the reaction from the court — and the The most vital moments were the two tie-breaks. 2 Related Tiafoe is now 6-0 in tiebreaks at this US Open. He excelled on that stage against Rublev, playing to the crowd and enjoying the crescendos of cheers that mirrored the way he lifted his performance. Rublev actually had the first chance to take the lead, with set point at 6-5 in the first, but Tiafoe snuffed it out with a risky corner forehand that netted. A few minutes later, it was Tiafoe who took the set, sealing it with a 130mph ace, then made the switch, nodding and swinging his racket more noise. The crowd obliged, including Tiafoe’s friend, All-Star Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, from his front-row seat. A similar scene occurred in the second tiebreak after a Tiafoe drop volley forced an error from Rublev to make it 6-0. When Tiafoe produced a backhand winner to seal a two-set lead, he ran to the sideline, sat down near his messy collection of towels, shirts and socks spread around the ground — call it “college dorm room chic.” — and shook his fist in the delirium of a standing ovation. Tiafoe is definitely a showman. He showed it against Nadal, and then again against Rublev, who never tried to hide his anger at how things turned out. Rublev would hit himself in the leg with his racket or strike his strings. Again and again, he gestured and shouted towards his visitors’ box, where only four of the 15 seats were occupied, unlike Tiafoe’s packed section. “I feel at home on courts like this,” Tiafoe told the crowd. “You get behind me, I want to play my best.” This report used information from the Associated Press.
