SI:AM | Two American Men Punch Tickets to U.S. Open Semis

It’ll be the first time an American man will reach the final at the U.S. Open since 2006.

Fritz beat Zverev in four sets Tuesday. / Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I know the NFL season starts this week, but don’t overlook what’s happening at the U.S. Open.

In today’s SI:AM:

🏆 Lamar Jackson’s title chase
🏈 The B1G’s big test
🎙️ Eli Manning Q&A

A semifinal for the ages

A decades-long streak of American men’s tennis ineptitude will finally be broken this year after a pair of U.S. players won their quarterfinal matches at the U.S. Open on Tuesday to set up an all-American semifinal with historic implications.

Taylor Fritz scored an upset over world No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the afternoon and then Frances Tiafoe advanced in the evening session after Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire due to injury in the fourth set.

Fritz and Tiafoe are now set to face each other in the semifinals on Friday, meaning one of them will become the first American man to reach the final at the U.S. Open since Andy Roddick in 2006. It’s been a rough couple of decades for American men’s tennis players. It isn’t just at the U.S. Open where they’ve struggled. Either Fritz or Tiafoe will become the first American man to reach a major final since '09 (also Roddick, at Wimbledon) and no American man has won a major since '03 (Roddick at the U.S. Open). But wait, there’s more. Even Fritz and Tiafoe’s quarterfinal appearances were notable. When Fritz and Tommy Paul reached the quarters at Wimbledon this year, it was the first time since 2000 that multiple American men were among the final eight players standing at a major.

“It’s the biggest match of me and Taylor’s life. We’ve known each other for so long. I’ve been playing against him since [14-and-under tournaments],” Tiafoe said during an on-court interview. “So to be able to play him here ... is going to be awesome. I know we’re two Americans, but I hope you’re all with me come Friday.”

Tiafoe will surely appreciate any help the crowd gives him on Friday, since Fritz is 6–1 against Tiafoe as a professional. And Fritz has had the better career overall, with eight tournament victories and a career winning percentage of 59.5%. Tiafoe has three titles and a 52.2% winning percentage.

Fritz is the top American in the men’s rankings at No. 12, but there are plenty of other players gunning for that spot. Ben Shelton is No. 13, Paul is No. 14 and Sebastian Korda is No. 16. Another American, Alex Michelsen, is the youngest player in the top 50. He just turned 20 years old two weeks ago. So while either Fritz or Tiafoe will make history by snapping the long drought of American men in grand slam finals, there’s reason for fans to hope that we won’t go another 18 years before an American man reaches a major final.

As exciting as the looming Fritz–Tiafoe semifinal is, though, whoever wins is likely to face a very difficult matchup in the final. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will face No. 5 Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night, with the winner going on to face the winner of the Alex De Minaur vs. Jack Draper match. The winner of the Sinner–Medvedev match will be favored in the final—provided they are able to get past De Minaur or Draper—but the crowd will surely be fired up to support whichever American reaches Sunday’s final. Will it be enough to spur them to a historic victory?

Despite plenty of success, Jackson (8) is still chasing his first Super Bowl appearance. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The best of Sports Illustrated

• As the Ravens prepare to open the NFL season on Thursday against the Chiefs, Lamar Jackson is hoping his individual brilliance will finally lead to a Super Bowl appearance. Albert Breer has more on Jackson’s goal and what he’s doing differently to achieve it.

• The new look Big Ten will face its first major test this weekend, Pat Forde writes, with six really intriguing games on the horizon.

• Nick Selbe’s AL rookie roundup focuses on the Tigers’ Parker Meadows, who has been much improved since returning from the minors.

• Liam McKeone spoke with Eli Manning about returning for a fourth season of the ManningCast.

• 49ers offensive lineman Trent Williams says the shooting of rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall played a role in his decision to end his holdout.

• What a shocker: Florida State dropped out of the top 25 in the newest AP poll.

The top five…

… things I saw yesterday:

5. Yankees prospect Roc Riggio’s steal of home.
4. The very different ways Roger Federer and Kevin Hart watch tennis.
3. Frances Tiafoe’s quote about Federer being in the stands for his match.
2. Angels closer Ben Joyce’s 105.5 mph strikeout pitch. It was the fastest strikeout pitch since MLB began tracking pitch velocity in 2008.
1. This California high school’s brilliantly innovative fake punt.