"American tennis is in a great place, we are all starting to get into our primes" - Frances Tiafoe becomes first American man since Andy Roddick in 2006 to reach US Open semifinals
Frances Tiafoe made history on Wednesday following his straight-sets win against Andrey Rublev in the US Open quarterfinals. The 24-year-old won 7-6(3), 7-6(0), 6-4 in two hours and 35 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium to become the first American since Andy Roddick (2006) to reach the semifinals of the New York Grand Slam.
In his post-match press conference, the World No. 26 touched upon the level of tennis American players, especially men, have displayed recently. His compatriot Taylor Fritz triumphed at Indian Wells this year and was twice a game away from reaching the Wimbledon semifinals before falling to Rafael Nadal. Reilly Opelka, meanwhile, finished as the runner-up at the Canadian Open last year.
"Yeah, I think all the American guys are pushing each other. You see Fritz won Indian Wells this year. Reilly made finals of Toronto last year. Me and Fritz had a great run at Wimbledon. Could have made semis there. Tough one with Rafa. Heartbreaker," he said.
"You see these guys do well. And obviously when I made quarterfinals of slam 2019, you see a lot of guys playing well. Tommy is playing great. We are all pushing each other," he added.
More like semi-Foe-nalist.
Frances Tiafoe, of the Junior Tennis Champions Center in Maryland, is the first American man to reach the semifinals of the US Open in 16 years.
7-6(3), 7-6(0), 6-4 over Andrey Rublev.
I think we can say he backed up his win over Rafa Nadal.
He stated that while he's currently one on a good run, every compatriot of his was coming into their prime as well, thus putting American tennis on the right track.
"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. Everyone is super capable. American tennis is in a great place. We are all starting to really get into our primes, and we will see where that takes us," he explained.
"Everyone loves a Cinderella story, I'm just trying to make one" - Frances Tiafoe
Frances Tiafoe created history by becoming the first black man to reach the US Open semifinals since Arthur Ashe in 1972. Having been backed by a vocal home crowd this fortnight, the American thanked his fans for their love and stated that he is trying to create the kind of "Cinderella story" that everyone loves.
"Yeah, that's love, man. I really appreciate that. You know, that stuff gets me emotional, for sure. Seeing people like screaming your name, just loving what you're doing. That's awesome. That's what it's all about. You know, everyone loves a Cinderella story. [I'm] just trying to make one," he said.
Son of immigrants from Sierra Leone.
Father was a janitor and given a spare tennis center office to live and work in.
First coach paid for his tournament entry fees.
Turned pro in 2015 and reaches #USOpen semifinals in his 26th Grand Slam.
The Frances Tiafoe story. https://t.co/ansWReaj3w