The US Open is one the four grand slam tournaments a tennis player competes in. It draws the best of the best. Top players and underdogs have the same goal, to win the title. Throughout the tournament, top contenders have lost to unheard names. The US Open is a selective tournament, so through the cuts, four Americans have battled their way to the semi-finals. Who will win the title? Who has defined the odds? Who will create history at this year’s US Open?
On Friday September 6th, Taylor Fritz and Frances TiaFoe will play against each other in the semi-finals of the US Open. Fritz won bronze in the mixed doubles at the 2024 Olympics and is ranked 12th in the world. He has not won any grand slam titles, but did win the prestigious Indian Wells tournament in 2022. TiaFoe born and raised in Hyattsville, Maryland, defeated the number 13 seed to secure his spot in the semi-finals. For both men, it has been a hard battle to get so far in the tournament. Fritz beat two top ten players including number four, Alexander Zerve and number eight, Casper Ruud to lock his place in the semi-final. TiaFoe beat two top 15 players including number nine, Grigor Dimitrove and fellow American, Ben Shelton ranked number 13. Both men have worked hard and accomplished so much to get to where they are, and with most of the favorites out of the competition, there is an opening. One match comes between Fritz and TiaFoe for the US Open final and possible title, so who will win?
Along with the head to head battle with the US men, two US American women played in the semifinals of the US Open. Jessica Pegula and Emma Navaro have taken the tennis world by storm. In this year’s US Open, Emma Navaro beat two top 30 players and took down the favorite to win the open, number three ranked Coco Gauff. Navaro went to the University of Virginia for tennis where she won the NCAA singles title. Jessica Pegula had been in the tennis world for years now. Pegula beat the number one ranked women’s player, Iga Świątek. Pegula hopes to redeem herself after losing in the final of the Cincinnati Open to Aryna Sabalenka. Last night, Emma Navaro played against the number two ranked women, Aryna Sabalenka. Navaro fought hard in the second set but unfortunately she lost. Pegula on the other hand dominated her game, winning two sets to one. Now, the women’s final will be a rematch of the Cincinnati Open. Number six ranked Jessica Pegula versus number two ranked Aryana Sablenka.
