This is going to be one for history at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night. When the men’s semifinal match between Frances Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz is over, either Tiafoe will continue his drive t…
When the men’s semifinal match betweenand Carlos Alcaraz is over, either Tiafoe will continue his drive to become the first American to win the U.S. Open since 2003 or the 19-year-old Alcaraz will continue his bid to become the youngest man to win this Grand Slam tournament since 1990.
Tiafoe, the 24-year-old, seems legit. He has not come out of nowhere, even if it might seem so. He has competed here since 2014, when he received a wild-card entry into the draw at age 16 and has been on the precipice since he forced Federer to five sets in the first round in 2017. “I think all the American guys are pushing each other,” Tiafoe said after taking out ninth-seed Rublev. “You see [Taylor] Fritz won Indian Wells this year. Reilly [Opelka] made finals of Toronto last year. Me and Fritz had a great run at Wimbledon. [He] could have made semis there [but] a tough one with Rafa. Heartbreaker.Corey Sipkin“You know, I just so happen to be the guy doing the run right now. I’m sure come next year in the slams, they will be doing just exactly the same.
Tiafoe’s story is both uniquely personal and collectively common through the American tapestry. He hails from parents who met in the United States after they emigrated from Sierra Leone in West Africa in the 1990s. The steps climbed by Tiafoe throughout his journey to the semis and have not been gilded.