Tiafoe feeds off crowd; takes down Rublev

NEW YORK (AP):

FRANCES TIAFOE became the first American man to reach the US Open semi-finals since 2006 by beating Andrey Rublev 7-6 (3), 7-6 (0), 6-4 behind the backing of a boisterous partisan crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium yesterday.

The 24-year-old Tiafoe, who grew up in Maryland, put on a performance just as strong, if not stronger, than the one he used to eliminate 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.

“Man, man, this is wild. This is crazy. Had the biggest win of my life 24 hours ago. ... That’s huge growth it’s tough to turn the page,” said Tiafoe, who is seeded 22nd at Flushing Meadows.

Then, looking ahead, and making sure everyone knows this big milestone is not enough to satisfy him, Tiafoe said: “Let’s enjoy this one. We’ve got two more, guys. We’ve got two more.”

Andy Roddick was the last US man to get to the semi-finals in New York, when he lost to Roger Federer in the title match 16 years ago. Roddick also was the last man from the country to win any Grand Slam singles championship, taking the 2003 US Open.

Tiafoe’s first career Grand Slam semi-final will come tomorrow.

Tiafoe played aggressive, offensive tennis and used 18 aces along with strong volleying to oust No. 9 Rublev, a Russian who dropped to 0-6 in major quarter-finals. Tiafoe won 31 of 41 points when he went to the net; Rublev only ventured forward 11 times.

In the women’s quarter-finals yesterday, No. 6 Aryna Sabalenka earned a second consecutive trip to the final four at Flushing Meadows with a 6-1, 7-6 (4) victory over Karolina Pliskova.

“I’m ready for it,” Sabalenka said. “I’m ready for another fight.”

RAIN FALLING

Rain drops began falling just before the start of Tiafoe vs Rublev, so they stood around waiting for the retractable roof to be shut. That resulted in both a cool, wind-free environment and a louder setting, with applause and yells from fans reverberating in what became an indoor arena – circumstances that favoured Tiafoe.

The match featured dominant serving by both – the only break of serve came more than two hours in, when Tiafoe went ahead 4-3 in the third set, then stood mostly motionless on court, enjoying the reaction from the stadium – and the most vital moments were the two tiebreakers.

Tiafoe is now 6-0 in tiebreakers at this US Open.

Tiafoe is definitely a showman. He demonstrated that against Nadal, then again against Rublev, who never tried to hide his anger at the way things were going.

Rublev would hit himself in the leg with his racket or punched his strings. Over and over, he gesticulated and yelled toward his guest box, where only four of the 15 seats were occupied, quite a contrast to Tiafoe’s packed section.

“I feel so at home on courts like this,” Tiafoe told the crowd. “You guys get behind me, I want to play my best.”