Devastated star Grigor Dimitrov quits clash with Frances Tiafoe to hand USA 'incredible' 18-year first
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American tennis fans are daring to dream of a first US Open men's champion since Andy Roddick way back in 2003.
Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz set up an all-American semi-final with victories on Wednesday (AEST), guaranteeing the US a man in the title match of a home grand slam for the first time in 18 years.
That was the 2006 final when Roddick was beaten by Roger Federer.
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Frances Tiafoe of USA compete against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. Getty
Tiafoe joined Fritz in the semis when Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov withdrew with an apparent leg injury when the score read 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-1 in the American's favour.
"It's not the way I want to get through," Tiafoe said on Nine and Stan Sport's coverage.
"But obviously happy to get through. Another semi-final here. Incredible."
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Taylor Fritz of the USA celebrates with Frances Tiafoe at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney. Getty
Tiafoe and Fritz are both 26-years-old and are longtime friends.
Fritz, ranked 12th compared to Tiafoe's 20th, advanced to the semis with a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) upset of world No.4 Alexander Zverev.
Fritz - who holds a 6-1 head-to-head edge over Tiafoe as pros - entered the day with an 0-4 record in grand slam quarter-finals.
"It's the biggest match of me and Taylor's life," Tiafoe said.
"We've known each other for so long. I've been playing against him since (under-14-tournaments).
"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.
"I'm going to have to be aggressive. He's one of the best ball strikers on the tour - from both sides. He's moving way better so I'm definitely going to have to serve better. Obviously I'm going to use my speed to try to be as aggressive as I can."
Earlier in the day, after years of climbing the rankings, of becoming the top American man in tennis, of coming close to making a breakthrough at one of his sport's four most important events, Fritz finally came through at home by beating Zverev.
The Fritz-Tiafoe semi is the first between a pair of American men at any major since 2005, when Andre Agassi defeated Robby Ginepri in New York.
Ninth seed Dimitrov appeared to be fading late in the third set against Tiafoe, grabbing at his left hamstring, walking gingerly between points and hitting serves much slower than earlier in the evening.
After that set, Dimitrov was visited by a trainer and then headed to the locker room for treatment.
He returned to the court for the start of the fourth set but wasn't able to move properly and eventually quit.
Frances Tiafoe of the United States shakes hands with Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. Getty
The 33-year-old who has appeared in three major semis, wouldn't say afterward exactly what was wrong, only that it was an accumulation of things.
"Just a disappointing moment for me," Dimitrov said.
"I need to reassess a couple of things."
