NEW YORK:
The United States enjoyed a successful day at the US Open on Tuesday as Taylor Fritz and Emma Navarro reached their first Grand Slam semi-finals on a bright, sunny day at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Fritz, seeded 12th, denied world number four Alexander Zverev another chance at securing a major title, winning 7-6(2) 3-6 6-4 7-6(3). This victory comes just two months after Fritz defeated Zverev in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Reflecting on the win, Fritz said, “I’ve had several opportunities to reach the semi-finals over the past few years, but today felt different. I really believed it was my time to take the next step.” He added, “It feels right to do it here at the Open in front of this crowd,” as he acknowledged the enthusiastic home supporters.
The opening set was closely contested, with Fritz clinching it in a tiebreak after a display of powerful baseline shots, drop shots, and impressive winners at the net. Zverev responded by taking the second set, energised by one of the standout shots of the tournament – a curving return from a wide position that sailed past the net post and landed on both lines.
However, Fritz regained control in the third set and secured the win in a fourth-set tiebreak, ending Zverev’s run.
Earlier in the day, 13th seed Emma Navarro continued her impressive rise with a 6-2 7-5 victory over Spain’s Paula Badosa. In a match between two New York-born players, Navarro, one of the remaining American women in the competition, broke early to lead 3-0 in the first set. She then saved two break points to take the set comfortably.
Navarro, who had eliminated defending champion Coco Gauff in the previous round, capitalised on Badosa’s unforced errors, winning 24 of the last 28 points to close out the match in 72 minutes. Reflecting on her performance, Navarro said, “Things weren’t looking great in the second set, but I just tried to stay tough and keep going. I felt if I could win a few longer rallies and put pressure on her, I might be able to close it out in two sets. I’m pleased with how I managed to do that.”
In the evening, seventh seed Zheng Qinwen faced second seed Aryna Sabalenka, who had won both of their previous encounters. Later, 20th seed Frances Tiafoe aimed to reach his second U.S. Open semi-final in three years, setting up the possibility of an all-American semi-final for the first time since 2005. Standing in his way was ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov, the experienced Bulgarian, who leads their head-to-head with a 3-1 record.
