adminNEW YORK. — Frances Tiafoe of the United States defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets to power into the semi-finals of the US Open tennis tournament on Wednesday.
Tiafoe, aiming to become the first African-American man to win the US Open since Arthur Ashe in 1968, put on a scintillating performance to defeat Russian ninth seed Rublev 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/0), 6-4 in 2hr 36min.
It was another superb giant-killing performance from the 24-year-old Tiafoe, who had eliminated Spanish legend Rafael Nadal in the fourth round on Tuesday.
Tiafoe, seeded 22nd, will face Spanish third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the last four today.
“Man this is wild, this is crazy,” Tiafoe said after his victory at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“Having the biggest win of my life 24 hours ago and coming out and getting another big win. Andrey’s a hell of a player, so to back it up is huge growth.
“Tough to turn the page but I did and now I’m in the semis…I always find a way somehow on this court. Let’s enjoy this one – we’ve got two more guys, two more.”
Tiafoe’s victory was founded on a rock-solid service game and a mastery of the key moments.
The American hammered down 18 aces and was never broken once against Rublev, who was aiming to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal after five previous quarterfinal exits.
Crucially, Rublev was unable to take any of four break points that came his way during a high-quality contest settled by fine margins.
The Russian 24-year-old had a break point at 6-5 in the first set but was unable to convert as Tiafoe battled back to hold.
Tiafoe then showed the greater composure in the tie-break to seal it with an ace for a one-set lead. The second set played out in almost identical fashion, going to a tie-break after neither man could find a break of serve.
But once again it was Tiafoe who rose to the moment. Back-to-back aces took him into a 5-0 lead before a beautiful sliced backhand gave him six points for a two-set lead. He duly converted the first to leave Rublev with a mountain to climb.
The Russian did well to hold serve in the third game of the third set, recovering from 15-40 down. Yet Tiafoe grabbed a break for a crucial 4-3 lead soon afterwards that left Rublev overcome with emotion, appearing to sob into his towel.
Tiafoe held off two break points in the next game and took a 5-3 lead with his 17th ace before closing out the win.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz battled past Jannik Sinner in five sets to reach the US Open semi-finals yesterday in the latest ever finish in the tournament’s 141-year history.
A thrilling 5hr 15min duel that finished at 2:50am local time ended with the 19-year-old Alcaraz claiming a 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-7 (0/7), 7-5, 6-3 victory to advance to a last-four showdown with Tiafoe of the United States today.
The previous record for the latest finish to a US Open match was 2:26am, which had been set three times before.
Incredibly, it was the second early-hours-of-the-morning finish for Alcaraz this week.
The Spanish No. 3 seed had edged past Croatia’s Marin Cilic in another five-set epic in the fourth round in a match that finished at 2.23am local time on Tuesday.
A crowd of a few thousand die-hard spectators roared their appreciation for Alcaraz as the Spaniard collapsed to the Arthur Ashe Stadium court in delight after a famous victory over Sinner, the 21-year-old Italian 11th seed.
“Honestly, I still don’t know I did it,” said Alcaraz after a win which came after he survived a match point in the fourth set. — AFP.
Online Reporter