American Taylor Fritz beat fourth seed Alexander Zverev 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3) to reach the semi-finals of the US Open for the first time.
The United States have not had a men’s champion on home turf since Andy Roddick 21 years ago and Fritz’s victory over former runner-up Zverev further fuels hopes of that run ending this year.
Fritz beat Zverev on grass at Wimbledon in an epic five-setter earlier this summer and this time, with the added bonus of the home crowd behind him on Arthur Ashe Stadium, he needed only four.
The 26-year-old will play either Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov or fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the last four.
Fritz: I felt like today was my time
Taylor Fritz, speaking courtside after his victory:
“I’ve had a lot of looks at Grand Slam quarter-finals over the past couple of years, and today just felt different. I really felt like it was my time to take it a step further.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Taylor Fritz said he felt like it was his time to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final, after defeating Alexander Zverev in the US Open.
“It’s only fitting I’m doing it here at this court, at the US Open in front of this crowd.
“You get to a point at the top of the game where your serve comes at you a little more, so I’ve worked on adding so much to my game.
“I’ve been trying to come to the net a little bit, to make some drop shots, and add stuff to my game so I can back up my serve a little better.”
Navarro rides second-set turnaround into semi-finals
Emma Navarro was another American to taste quarter-final success on Tuesday, the 13th seed beating Spain’s Paula Badosa 6-2 7-5 to reach the final four of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Emma Navarro beat Paula Badosa 6-2 7-5 to advance to the semi-finals at the US Open.
Trailing 5-1 in the second set and three points from having to go to a decider, Navarro won the next four points to stay alive, starting a stretch in which she captured 24 of the final 28 points of the match to stun Badosa.
Navarro, who ousted the defending champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round, ran through the first set in 29 minutes before 26th seed Badosa appeared to be mounting a comeback in the second set.
But Navarro broke the Spaniard in the next game and rode a stunning second-set turnaround into the semi-finals.
The 23-year-old becomes the sixth player in the last 40 years to reach the US Open semis without a previous main-draw victory in the tournament, following Steffi Graf (1985), Venus Williams (1997), Yanina Wickmayer (2009), Bianca Andreescu (2019) and Emma Raducanu (2021).
Navarro will next face No 2 seed, and two-time Australian Open champion, Aryna Sabalenka or seventh-seeded, and Olympic gold medallist, Qinwen Zheng.
Navarro: I felt like today was my time
Emma Navarro, speaking after her victory:
“Things weren’t looking great there in the second set, but just tried to be really tough, stick in there, make her hit one more ball.
“I thought if I could push back a little bit and make her think a little bit on her service game, maybe I could sneak my way back in there.
“Even though she was up 5-1, after I got it back to 5-2, I felt like she wasn’t totally confident in her ability to close out that set.
“I just wanted to stay really tough and stick in there. I can’t see the future, but maybe today I could a little bit. Even if I did lose the second set, I wanted to set the tone for the third set.
“I’m just really happy with my performance today and it’s crazy to be moving on to the semi-finals. US Open, baby!”
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in September?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Find out all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA tours.
- Jasmin Open, Tunisia – WTA 250 (9-15 September)
- Guadalajara Open, Mexico – WTA 500 (9-15 September)
- Korea Open – WTA 500 (16 -22 September – with Emma Raducanu in action)
- Thailand Open – WTA 250 (16 -22 September)
- Chengdu Open, China – ATP 250 (18-24 September)
- Hangzhou Open, China – ATP 250 (18-24 September)
- China Open – WTA 1000 (Sept 25 – Oct 6)
- Japan Open – ATP 500 (Sept 25 – Oct 1)
- China Open – ATP 500 (Sept 26 – Oct 2)
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
