How Fritz went from overwhelmed to over the moon in 2024 US Open semifinals

Late in the fourth set, Fritz found what he was looking for and capitalized, reeling off eight of the final nine games to become the first American man to reach a US Open final in 18 years.

He will face Italy’s Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s US Open men’s singles final.

Fritz’s victory was a testament to his fortitude, the latest in a long line of grinding victories in which the American has refused to pull the ripcord when facing difficult odds.

“I think one thing that's never been in doubt throughout my tennis career, whether I'm playing awful or hitting one side bad or whatever the situation could be throughout my career of ups and downs, I think one thing that's never been in question is my heart and how I'm always going to compete no matter what,” Fritz said.

“What I just kept telling myself was just to keep fighting and to keep working, and if I don't give it everything I have and just lock in as much as I possibly can, I'm going to regret it forever,” Fritz said.

Twelfth-seeded Fritz, who will take on world No. 1 Jannik Sinner for the third time (their career head-to-head is tied at 1-1) in Sunday’s US Open final, was pushed to the brink by Tiafoe, but he refused to show his opponent that he was down. Case in point: the 31-stroke rally in the seventh game of the fourth set, won when Fritz knocked down a forehand winner into the open court.

“I had to stay with him in some of those really long, crazy rallies, because I wanted to show him that I wasn't going to go away, that I was feeling fit and I was going to keep running for everything and fighting for every point,” he said. “I think that itself made a big difference for me.”