Frances Tiafoe of the United States defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets to power into the semi-finals of the US Open on Thursday (AEST).
Tiafoe, aiming to become the first African-American man to win the US Open since Arthur Ashe in 1968, put on a scintillating performance to defeat Russian ninth seed Rublev 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/0), 6-4 in 2hr 36min.
It was another superb giant-killing performance from the 24-year-old Tiafoe, who had eliminated Spanish legend Rafael Nadal in the fourth round earlier this week.
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Tiafoe, seeded 22nd, will face either Spanish third seed Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner in the last four.
Riding a wave of American enthusiasm, Tiafoe was simply too good for a frustrated Rublev, who eventually broke down in the third set, appearing to be in tears after being broken.
“Man this is wild, this is crazy,” Tiafoe said after his victory at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“Having the biggest win of my life 24 hours ago and coming out and getting another big win. Andrey’s a hell of a player, so to back it up is huge growth.
“Tough to turn the page but I did and now I’m in the semis…I always find a way somehow on this court. Let’s enjoy this one – we’ve got two more guys, two more.”
SABALENKA’S REVENGE
Aryna Sabalenka reached the US Open semi-finals for a second successive year, fired up by the lingering and bitter aftertaste of her Wimbledon ban.
Russian and Belarusian players, such as world number six Sabalenka, were prevented from competing at the All England Club due to the invasion of Ukraine.
The ban deprived Belarus’s Sabalenka of the opportunity to improve on her semi-final run in 2021.
“They took away one opportunity from me, so I worked really hard for this one,” said Sabalenka after her 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) win over Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic.
It was Pliskova who defeated her in the Wimbledon semi-finals last year.
However, Sabalenka admitted that she made a determined effort not to watch any of this year’s grass-court Grand Slam as she trained in Miami during her enforced break from the sport.
“I’m just an athlete and I have nothing to do with politics,” she said. “It was a tough time, especially when I was working out in the gym and there was Wimbledon playing on the TV.
“I always turned it off because I couldn’t watch it.”
Belarusian players were banned from Wimbledon because Belarus is a close ally of Russia and has allowed Moscow to use its territory to launch attacks into Ukraine.
The 24-year-old Sabalenka will face either world number one, and French Open champion, Iga Swiatek or Jessica Pegula of the United States for a place in Saturday’s US Open final.
