Multiple American Semifinalists in U.S. Open After 2 Decades
In a year of record-breaking fan attendance, the 2024 U.S. Open — one of four annual Grand Slam tournaments — has proved that Americans have the tennis bug. The buzz around the sport in the United States is bolstered by a year of promising results from the country’s top talents. Their most recent feat? Multiple Americans, four men and women, have reached the U.S. Open semifinals for the first time since 2003. Read to learn more about the players looking to win the trophy on home soil.
Multiple Americans in the 2024 U.S. Open semifinals
Robert Prange
At the U.S. Open on Wednesday, September 4, world No. 6 Jessica Pegula became the fourth American tennis player to make this year’s semifinal round — breaking a 21-year drought of multiple U.S. players’ success at their home Slam.
The last time multiple Americans made it to the penultimate round at the U.S. Open was in 2003 with Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport. Roddick would go on to win the tournament, becoming the last American man to secure a Grand Slam title to date.
Pegula’s accompanying compatriots in this year’s U.S. Open semifinals include Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe on the men’s side and Emma Navarro on the women’s side.
Even more intriguing in the scheme of American tennis is that Fritz and Tiafoe will face off in the second men’s semifinal, ensuring there will be an American man in the U.S. Open final for the first time since 2006.
What to know about the American men in the 2024 U.S. Open semifinals
Jamie Squire
26-year-old Tiafoe arrived at this year’s U.S. Open having fallen just short of hoisting the trophy at the Cincinnati Open — a tournament hosted directly before the U.S. Open — where he emerged as the runner-up to world No.1 Jannik Sinner.
With momentum on his side, the world No. 20 fought through five rounds — including a tight four set victory against Australian player Alexei Popyrin who upset defending champion Novak Djokovic last week — to return to the U.S. Open semifinals for the first time since 2022.
On the other side of this All-American matchup is world No. 12 Fritz.
The 26-year-old has produced a stellar 2024 Grand Slam season having reached the quarter final rounds at Wimbledon and The French Open earlier this year.
En route to the U.S. Open semifinals, Fritz scored an upset against one of the favorites to win the tournament — Alexander Zverev from Germany — in the quarterfinal round.
This will be Fritz and Tiafoe’s eighth meeting on the ATP tour with Fritz leading the head-to-head 6 to 1.
What to know about the American women in the 2024 U.S. Open semifinals
Mike Stobe / Matthew Stockman
Pegula broke her Grand Slam “quarterfinals curse,” with an upset over world No. 1 and 2024 French Open champion Iga Swiatek of Poland on Wednesday night.
In August, Pegula became the first American to win the Canadian Open in a decade, where she also upset Swiatek en route to the title.
Navarro — who scored an upset of her own against fellow American and 2023 U.S. Open Champion Coco Gauff in the round of 16 — entered this year’s U.S. Open having never won a main draw match at the tournament.
The 23-year-old had impressive runs at this year’s Wimbledon and Canadian Open, reaching the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, respectively. These results helped to secure a career-high ranking of No. 12 in the world.
Navarro will face world No. 2 and the winner of this year's Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka. Pegula will face 2023 French Open finalist Karolina Muchová of the Czech Republic.
When to watch the 2024 U.S. Open semifinals
The women’s singles semifinals begin at 7 p.m. EST on September 5. The men’s singles semifinals begin at 7 p.m. EST on September 6.
Matches are available on ESPN in the United States.
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