Several times during Tuesday’s US Open quarterfinal between Frances Tiafoe and Grigor Dimitrov, the camera in Arthur Ashe Stadium focused on five-time tournament winner Roger Federer, almost as if to ask: Who will rise to the occasion and stand alongside him in the history books?
The last two winners, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, have already been eliminated and, although world number one Jannik Sinner remains in power, the competition now has a less obvious favourite than in previous years.
Tiafoe made sure he stayed in that conversation with a commanding 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 4-1 victory over an eventually-retiring Dimitrov, setting up an All-American semifinal against Taylor Fritz.
Sunday will mark the first time since Wimbledon 2009 that an American plays in a Grand Slam singles final, and perhaps the occasion will mark the beginning of a bright new era of tennis in the United States as well.
“Once we (the current generation of male players) became professionals, we pushed each other to want to be great,” Tiafoe said after the match.
Frances Tiafoe defeated Grigor Dimitrov in four sets on Tuesday to advance to the US Open semifinals
Dimitrov looked refreshed in the second set but then retired with an injury.
“You know, sometimes it’s not said, sometimes it’s talked about. But yeah, nobody wants to leave anyone behind. It’s been a special thing to be involved in.”
World No. 20 Tiafoe will not be considered the favourite to go all the way but said there was a more “open” feel to the sport now, hours after Fritz beat Alexander Zverev to advance to his first semi-final.
“It’s not like before, when you get to the quarter-finals, you play Rafa (Nadal) and you’re thinking about flights,” Tiafoe said.
“That’s the reality. It’s totally different now, you know? And nobody’s invincible.”
That certainly proved to be the case on Tuesday when Tiafoe beat the crafty Dimitrov.
For all the experience of the 33-year-old Dimitrov, it was Tiafoe, 26, who looked more assured, starting the match more aggressively and proving virtually unbreakable on serve throughout the night.
Dimitrov’s age also unfortunately took its toll towards the end of the match, as he appeared to pick up an injury late in the third set and seemed to limp at times from then on. After that, he said the last few days “haven’t been the easiest” and pointed to a “build-up” of stress on his body.
For Tiafoe, however, this is his second US Open semi-final and he still deserves some recognition for how he handled the world No. 9.
Tiafoe had successfully battled 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 competitor known for his slice backhand.
The Maryland native passed that test convincingly, however, and weathered a second-set tiebreak loss that potentially sapped his momentum going into the tournament.
He gave Dimitrov some early warning signs as he took the Bulgarian’s first two service games to a draw, with Dimitrov looking passive and sloppy in the opening set.
Tiafoe failed to get over the hump then, but did so on his next opportunity after volleying into the net, pumping his fist toward an Arthur Ashe crowd that doesn’t want its summer romance with him to end.
Tiafoe has reached the US Open semi-finals for the second time and will face fellow American Taylor Fritz on Friday.
Fritz beat Alexander Zverev and reached a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time in his career
It wasn’t long before he got another break to win the set and take control of the match.
In the second set he had to face a tougher challenge from Dimitrov, who until then seemed like a passing player in this match.
While Tiafoe earned another early break to go up 3-1, Dimitrov responded to grab a break of his own and cut the lead to 4-3.
The Bulgarian, who committed 16 unforced errors in the first set, looked much more energetic in the second when his slice backhand began to bother Tiafoe and extend rallies, and the results would soon be seen.
He survived a crucial break at 4-4 with a drop shot into the net, a moment that showed the kind of guile Tiafoe was struggling with. But the American was up to the challenge of playing that kind of game, as he won the next game with a backhand slice, before both players eventually held serve twice more to set up a decisive tiebreak.
There, it was Dimitrov who barely withstood the pressure, racing to a 7-5 lead after hitting two double faults from 6-3, while Tiafoe doubled to end the set.
Those service troubles proved prophetic for Dimitrov, as he double-faulted on two of the last three points of the third set, after Tiafoe had earned an earlier break to go up 3-2.
And Dimitrov’s serve problems returned when he sent the second game of the fourth set to deuce after a double fault, before being broken again, and there was no comeback since then as he later retired through injury.
Tiafoe’s attention will now turn to Friday’s match against Fritz, a close friend and the top-ranked American player.
There is unlikely to be a shortage of entertainment.
“It’s going to be epic,” Tiafoe said. “Popcorn, do what you gotta do. Friday is going to be fun.”