Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the US Open match.
Taylor Fritz
The 26-year-old American has reached his first Grand Slam semi-final. He defeated Alexander Zverev (4) twice in a row at Grand Slam tournaments. They previously clashed in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon. Taylor Fritz dominated the German for most of the match, displaying more variety, even though Zverev occasionally performed miracles on the court. The statistics might not fully reflect this, as Zverev led in many categories, but Fritz won crucial points, especially on his opponent's serve during two tiebreaks.
Frances Tiafoe
Frances Tiafoe advanced to the semi-final after Grigor Dimitrov retired in the fourth set, but the American would likely have won anyway, as he needed just two more games. The Bulgarian was truly effective only in the second set when he won the tiebreak. In the third set, Dimitrov began to feel discomfort in his leg due to an injury sustained at Wimbledon. It's worth noting that Tiafoe's success came more from his opponent's errors than his own aggressive play. Dimitrov had more winners (38-26) but also more unforced errors (51-37).
Taylor Fritz - Frances Tiafoe Prediction
In head-to-head matchups, Taylor Fritz clearly has the upper hand (6-1). Tiafoe's only victory came in their first meeting back in 2016 at Indian Wells (6:3, 2:6, 6:3). Their last encounter was in Acapulco 2023, where Fritz won 6:3, 6:4. In the upcoming match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Fritz is also the favourite. He managed to outplay a much stronger Zverev recently. While his compatriot will put up a fight, he is expected to come up short.
