NEW YORK, SEPT 7: Frances Tiafoe blamed his heartbreaking five-set US Open semi-final defeat to Taylor Fritz on cramping after his "body shut down".
Tiafoe twice led in the match but the final set lasted just 27 minutes in which he was broken three times and collected just nine points.
"I was the better player for sure tonight. In the fourth set, I just had some in-and-out cramps. I felt like my body just kind of shut down on me," said the 20th-ranked Tiafoe after his 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 defeat. As Fritz celebrated becoming the first American man to reach a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick in 2009, Tiafoe was left to rue a second US Open semi-final loss in his last three appearances.
In 2022, he lost another five-setter against eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
"Probably had a lot to do with nerves. I wasn't tired at all," Tiafoe said. "The closest I was obviously when I played Alcaraz I was kind of hanging for dear life to go five. Here I was really in a position to win. I got ahead of myself and I promise it's not going to happen to me again."
World number 12 Fritz, meanwhile, will face top-ranked Jannik Sinner in Sunday's final having never previously got past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam. —AFP
