The 3 players with the most Grand Slam main draw events before reaching a final as Taylor Fritz joins list in fourth
Taylor Fritz has become the 12th American man to reach US Open final as he ended the United States’ long drought for a Grand Slam finalist with victory over compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the semi-final.
The 26-year-old Fritz came from behind to book his place in his maiden Grand Slam final as he defeated Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 12th seed will face Jannik Sinner, who beat Jack Draper in straight sets, in Sunday’s grand finale at Flushing Meadows.
With the win, he became the first American man in 15 years to reach a major final as Andy Roddick appeared in and lost the 2009 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer.
Roddick is also the last American man to win a Grand Slam as he won the 2003 US Open final against Juan Carlos Ferrero, but he was on the losing side in his last US Open final as he lost the 2006 edition against Federer.
Taylor Fritz Milestones
With the win, Fritz is guaranteed to return to top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time since February as he will rise to No 7 while he will be at No 6 if he wins the title.
Aged 26 years and 313 days, Fritz is the second-oldest American player in the Open Era to reach a maiden Grand Slam final. He finds himself behind MaliVai Washington, who was 27 years and 15 days when he reached the 1996 Wimbledon final.
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Fritz is now also fourth on the list of players with the most Grand Slam main draw appearances before reaching a final with David Ferrer, Stan Wawrinka and Kevin Anderson ahead of him.
Grand Slam Appearance No 33
The American – who made his Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2016 Australian Open – has reached his maiden major final in his 33rd main draw appearance. Since his debut, he has missed only two Grand Slams, the 2017 French Open and the 2018 Australian Open.
Kevin Anderson is just ahead of him in terms of main draw appearances before a major final as the South African achieved the feat in 34 entries with his first Slam final coming at the 2017 US Open when he lost against Rafael Nadal.
Stan Wawrinka made his major debut at the 2005 French Open and he took 36 main draw appearances before reaching his maiden final. The Swiss went on to win his maiden Slam final as he won the 2014 Australian Open.
But David Ferrer holds the record for most main draw entries before reaching a final as he was on No 42 when he played in the French Open final in 2013, losing against Rafael Nadal.
