Fritz takes down No. 4 Zverev to reach 1st Grand Slam semifinal

NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Fritz earned his first berth in the final four of a major, beating 2020 U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Tuesday.

Fritz had been 0-4 in Grand Slam quarterfinals but finally broke through against Zverev, the No. 4 seed he also defeated in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

"I've had a lot of looks at quarterfinals over the last couple of years and today just felt different," Fritz said. "I really felt like it was my time to take it a step further."

Frances Tiafoe could give the U.S. another semifinalist Tuesday — and a guaranteed chance to play for a championship — when he faces No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov at night. If he wins, the No. 20-seeded Tiafoe would play the 12th-seeded Fritz in Friday's semis.

"That could be crazy, so I guess we'll see what happens," Fritz said, "but either way I'll be ready to go."

He controlled the action behind his strong serving, winning 20 of 21 points on his first serve in the fourth set and 81% in the match.