2 billionaires, a tennis mom and janitor's son: Everything you need to know about American semifinalists at US Open ft. Frances Tiafoe, Jessica Pegula
The 2024 US Open has proved successful for American tennis stars including Frances Tiafoe and Jessica Pegula. Four American players will be in action during the men's and women's semifinals at Flushing Meadows. The sold-out arena will see an all-American semifinal in the men's draw while there is a possibility for an all-American final in the women's section.
Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Pegula, and Emma Navarro have etched their names in American tennis history books with their performances at the US Open. The four hail from different backgrounds and have endured different challenges to reach their stardom today.
Tiafoe's story is arguably the toughest among his American counterparts. His parents moved to the United States from Sierra Leone in 1996. His father, Constant was a janitor at the Junior Tennis Championship Center in Washington in 1999. Such was the workload that Constant moved into the vacant storage unit and made it his home.
Frances Tiafoe would sleep in the unit with his brother Franklin before a coach at the tennis center, Misha Kouznetsov, spotted Frances and offered to coach him for free. Soon the charismatic American started to make a name for himself and didn't look back. He won his first professional trophy at the Delray Beach Open in 2018 and is now aiming for his first Grand Slam title at the US Open.
Tiafoe's opponent in the semifinal is his good friend and American rival Taylor Fritz. Fritz was born into a tennis-playing family. His mother Kathy May was a professional player in the 1970s and early 1980s. She won seven singles titles in the WTA and made it to Grand Slam quarterfinals thrice but failed to win a Major.
In an interview with Tennis.com in 2021, Fritz talked about the impact of his mother on his tennis career. The American claimed that his mother helped him make major decisions throughout her career and is still supporting him from the stands now.
"My mom kind of took a step back, but she’s gone to tournaments with me and it’s worked out great. She helped me make a lot of important decisions, especially early on because she’d been through it herself ... she’s there for the practices, she’s there for the matches," Taylor Fritz said.
Billionaires Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro complete the 2024 US Open American semifinalists list
Jessica Pegula brushed World No.1 Iga Swiatek aside in their quarterfinal at the US Open to book a semifinal berth. The American star continued her dream run during the American leg of the season having won the Canadian Open and reached the final of the Cincinnati Open.
Pegula is the daughter of American billionaire Terry Pegula who built his empire in the oil and gas industry before focusing on sports. The American owns part of two sporting franchises, the Buffalo Bills and the Buffalo Sabres. According to Forbes, His net worth is around $7.7 billion in 2024.
Pegula is joined in the semifinals of the US Open by another billionaire daughter Emma Navarro who defeated Paula Badosa in straight sets to set up a semifinal clash against Aryna Sabalenka. The 23-year-old American is the daughter of Ben Navarro, the founder of Sherman Financial Group which owns the Las Vegas-based Credit One. He also owns the Cincinnati and the Charleston tennis events adding to his already impressive net worth. According to Forbes, he has a net worth of $1.5 billion in 2024.