*Flushing, New York – Frances Tiafoe and mixed doubles teams, Taylor Townsend/Donald Young and Townsend /Katerina Siniakova locked arms to notch big wins for the home team at the US Open on Tuesday night. Tiafoe took down top ten Bulgarian, Grigor Dimitrov, in men’s singles to advance to the semifinals, while Townsend advanced to the mixed doubles final with Young and the women’s doubles semifinal with Siniakova.
Tiafoe and Fritz beat the odds and set up an all-American semifinal
Frances Tiafoe, aka Big Foe’s win, set up the first all-American Grand Slam semifinal since 2005 and a step closer to breaking the 21-year drought of an American winning the US Open (Andy Roddick won in 2003). Compatriot, Taylor Fritz, had ousted German, Alexander Zverev earlier on Tuesday in four sets, and it took his longtime friend, Big Foe, the same to take down Dimitrov. Neither outcome was initially expected.
The odds were stacked against Tiafoe, though a fan favorite, going into the match. His head-to-head with the higher-ranked Bulgarian was 1 and 3 and he had been playing lights out tennis to that point. But the Sierra Leone native, Tiafoe, continued his aggressive form that took him to the quarterfinals to dominate out of the gate.
He easily took the first set 6-3 and barely lost the second 6-7 (5) on an anomalous exchange of double faults. He quickly steadied himself, however, and sealed the third set, 6-3. By then, Dimitrov seemed to aggravate a longstanding injury and took a medical timeout before starting the fourth.
The Bulgarian attempted to play on after treatment but ultimately had to retire with Big Foe ahead, 4-1.
It was an anticlimactic win, but injury retirement aside, Tiafoe was outplaying Dimitrov from the first point and was likely to have come out the victor.
“Yeah, I mean, definitely abrupt ending, but I thought the level was really high there for two-and-a-half sets, three sets, whatever the case may be. Really, really high, “ he said.
“I thought my game plan was perfect. I let him in there in the second a little bit, but I thought I just kept going, though I applied pressure really well. Thought I played well.”
Fritz overcame tough ask too … he had never made a semifinal and his head-to-head against Zverev was unfavorable.
Both Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will celebrate their wins for a brief moment, but they will play each other for elimination on Friday.
Taylor Townsend causes double-doubles trouble in New York
Earlier in the day, tournament wildcards, Taylor Townsend and Donald Young, also representing the home team, easily took down 8th-seeded doubles pair, Sutjiadi (IRN) and Bopanna (IND), to advance to the mixed doubles final.
Townsend un-retired Young, a former 38th-ranked singles player who now focuses on pickleball, to join her at the Open … and the decision is paying big dividends. If they win the final, it would be Townsend’s second Grand Slam trophy in a month and Young’s first.
Additionally, Townsend earned a spot in the women’s doubles semifinal with her partner Katerina Siniakova (CZE) on a Tuesday afternoon. The pair are seeded no. 3 in the category and had just celebrated being crowned Wimbledon women’s doubles champions together several weeks ago. Their winning ways continue in New York.
Townsend was a champion at the Australian Open and ranked no. 1 as a junior, then went pro as a singles and doubles player in 2012. She had modest success on the pro circuit, doubles being her strongest suit, but she took a hiatus to become a mother in 2020.
Now, she’s back with a vengeance, going further than she had before she took her motherhood break. Check your local listings for Taylor’s doubles play.
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