Frances Tiafoe is gearing up for a monumental US Open semifinal match against Taylor Fritz, as these childhood friends, despite their differing personalities, share a common goal of breaking the long-standing Grand Slam drought for American men. Tiafoe secured his place in the first all-American Grand Slam semifinal since 2005 on Tuesday when Grigor Dimitrov retired due to injury while trailing 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3 4-1, shortly after Fritz defeated Alexander Zverev 7-6(2) 3-6 6-4 7-6(4). The victor of Friday's match will be the first American man to reach a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick's loss to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009. Roddick remains the last US player to claim a men's major title, winning in New York in 2003.

Tiafoe, who reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows in 2022, described the stark contrast in their personalities. "As personalities, you can't find two more opposite individuals," Tiafoe shared with reporters. "He's a video game enthusiast, always in his room, a goofball. I'm loud and sometimes obnoxious." However, he acknowledged Fritz's humor, describing it as dry and witty, which contributes to their strong friendship despite their differences. "On the court, we share more similarities than differences," he noted. "As competitors, we are very alike, we hate to lose. We fight hard, but our personalities are very different. It's interesting to see how our relationship has evolved as we've grown older."

Tiafoe, seeded 20th, enters the semifinal having only won one of his seven encounters with Fritz, but he hopes that playing at Arthur Ashe Stadium will give him an edge. "It's different on Ashe," he remarked. "You have to learn from those defeats. A couple of those matches, I felt I should have won." He believes the setting of the semifinal at Ashe, especially at night, will be a different scenario altogether compared to their previous meetings. The tournament has witnessed several top players exiting early, and with four-time champion Rafa Nadal absent due to fitness concerns, Tiafoe sees men's tennis as more open than ever.

"It's not like it once was where you make quarter-finals, you play Rafa, and you're looking at flights," the 26-year-old explained. "That's just the reality. Now it's just totally different. No one's unbeatable. Especially later in the season where guys are maybe a little bit cooked. Maybe just not as fresh and they're vulnerable."