Two American Players Break "Quarterfinal Curse" at US Open

Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula have broken a "curse" by advancing to the US Open semifinals.

Sep 3, 2024; Flushing, NY, USA; Taylor Fritz of the United States celebrates his victory over Alexander Zverev of Germany on day nine of the U.S. Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images / Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Excitement among tennis fans in the United States is at an all-time high. The 2024 US Open is the first major with multiple American men and women in the semifinals in 21 years.

Even better, two fan-favorite players have broken the "quarterfinal curse" that has haunted them throughout their entire careers. Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula have advanced to a Grand Slam semifinals for the first time ever.

QUARTERFINAL CURSE NO MORE pic.twitter.com/h5gLwIlDPN

— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) September 5, 2024

Fritz and Pegula have already built a strong fanbase in America thanks to their appearance on the Netflix Show Break Point and their play in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

Fritz defeated Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals on Tuesday and is scheduled to play Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals on Friday at 7:00 p.m. EST.

A breakthrough that means so much for Taylor Fritz 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/pT27okWMC1

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2024

After defeating Zverev, Fritz said, "I've had a lot of looks at quarterfinals over the years; today just felt different. I really felt like it was my time to take it a step further. And I mean, it's only fitting that I'm doing it here on this court at the Open, in front of the crowd."

Pegula defeated top-ranked Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals on Wednesday and is scheduled to play Karolína Muchová in the semifinals today at 8:15 p.m. EST.

"I wanted to be that fourth American so bad in the semis."

Jessica Pegula joins @notthefakeSVP to talk about the #USOpen as we head to the semifinals 🍿 pic.twitter.com/2yb2xQd85O

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 5, 2024

After her win over Swiatek, Pegula joked, "I would like to say I’m so happy that you guys cannot ask me about making it to the semis... I'm really happy to be through to the semifinals."

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• (Interview) Taylor Fritz and Morgan Riddle discuss their relationship.

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