US Open Tennis 2024: Top Storylines to Watch in Men's Semifinals Bracket

It's been 19 years, but the time has finally come.

On Friday, for the first time since 2005, a Grand Slam men's semifinal will feature two Americans.

Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will face off for the eighth time (Fritz leads 6-1) with a lot more than bragging rights on the line.

The winner will end another American drought, becoming the first American man to reach a major final since Andy Roddick reached the Wimbledon final in 2009.

In the other semifinal match, No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner will face Jack Draper, who is the only player to have not dropped a set this entire tournament.

Here are the top storylines to know for each match.

In a tournament where upsets had turned everything upside down, Jannik Sinner stood out as the only exception.

Sinner's play has only gotten better as the tournament has progressed, despite two of the top three seeds losing before the fourth round.

The Italian has been without a doubt the top performer on the hard-court surface this year with a 33-2 record, consistently troubling opponents with overhwhelming groundstrokes and a heavy serve.

However, his upcoming opponent, Jack Draper, has also been dominant.

On Wednesday, the 22-year-old defeated No. 10 seed Alex de Minaur, becoming the first British man to reach the U.S. Open semifinal round since 2012 (Andy Murray).

Draper has not dropped a set this entire tournament and has been consistently reliable from serve, where he's dropped just three service games in five matches combined.

While Draper has had tremendous success lately, defeating Sinner will be no straightforward task.

Draper is capable of keeping things close, but Sinner is expected to advance given his ascent within the last year, particularly on the hard-court surface.

Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe enter Friday's semifinal match carrying the weight of American men's tennis on their shoulders.

Each has the opportunity to end a 15-year drought in United States men's tennis.

They'll meet for the eighth time, with Fritz consistently controlling the head-to-head battle (Fritz leads 6-1).

Yet, Tiafoe thrives at the U.S. Open.

After securing three victories over formidable opponents like Ben Shelton, Alexei Popyrin, and Grigor Dimitrov—the latter of whom had to retire due to injury after trailing in the fourth set—he is back again in the semifinal for the second time in three years.

However, Fritz has been equally impressive, with back-to-back dominant wins against top ten players such as Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev.

In his last match, the No. 12 seed was able to stand toe-to-toe with Zverev's backhand, widely considered one of the best on tour, while able to stay strong on serve.

Fritz enters as the favorite and has historically dominated the head-to-head battle with his American compatriot, but given what's at stake, it's quite possible it'll take five sets to decide a victor.