This is the first time an American player has reached a Grand Slam final since 2005, and it's the US Open final. Taylor Fritz will be playing in the final major tournament of the year with a huge home crowd behind him, but he will face No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner in the final, and it will not be an easy opponent to beat.
The 23-year-old Sinner beat England's Jack Draper 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in the first semifinal in which both players needed medical attention. Draper vomited twice and Sinner had to be treated by a trainer for his wrist after a fall. Fritz, 26, played fellow American and friend Francis Tiafoe in Friday's other semifinal and won a hard-fought five-set battle 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
The final match between Sinner and Fritz is scheduled for 2 pm ET on Sunday and will be broadcast on ABC and streamed live on ESPN Plus from Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Andy Roddick was the last American player to win a Grand Slam, winning the U.S. Open in 2003, and the last American to reach a Grand Slam final, losing to Roger Federer in 2009. Since then, Americans have struggled to make any progress in men's singles, and Roddick's achievement stands alone.
But Fritz is hoping to make a difference here, even if it means ending the run of his good friend and countryman Tiafoe. Both players entered the match ahead at different times, with Fritz winning the first three games before dropping six of the next seven.
The two traded sets back and forth, with Tiafoe winning the first set to set up a deciding fifth set for the final. Friday's semifinal marked the eighth time Tiafoe and Fritz have faced each other in professional singles, with Fritz currently leading his friend 7-1. Tiafoe appeared to run out of gas by the end of the fourth set, which probably didn't do him any favors going into the final against Sinner.
Sinner won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this season and is still searching for his second. He reached the semifinals at Roland Garros and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon but has not played in a final since Australia. He also missed the Olympics prior to this tournament because of tonsillitis.
It was also a difficult time for the Italian player, who was sanctioned by the Anti-Doping Agency for testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol. The ITIA eventually accepted Sinner's explanation that the substance had entered his system through a massage by a team member and allowed him to play in the US Open.
Draper, seeded 25th, came into the semi-finals as an unlikely contender and was clearly struggling with nerves in the biggest match of his career. His best results at other Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the second round at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, both of which came this year. Regardless, there's plenty more success ahead for the 22-year-old Draper, but at this stage Sinner was a formidable opponent.
The 26-year-old Tiafoe had reached this point in 2022 but will have to rethink his plans after losing in just his second Grand Slam semi-final.
Below, we'll find out more about who made it to the finals, as well as streaming information for the men's final, and don't forget that the women's final is scheduled for Saturday, featuring Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula.
US Open Men's Singles Final
No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 12 Taylor Fritz (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN Plus)
1st Place Jannik Sinner's Journey to the Final
Defeated Mackenzie McDonald 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2
No doubt about that. Alex Michelsen, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2
Defeated Christopher O'Connell 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
Defeated #14 Tommy Paul 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-1
No doubt about it. No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4
Defeated #25 Jack Draper 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2
#12 Taylor Fritz's journey to the finals
No doubt about it. Camilo Ugo Carabelli 7-5, 6-1, 6-2
No doubt about it. Matteo Berrettini, 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-1
No doubt about it. Francisco Comesana, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Defeated No. 8 Kasper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Defeated No. 4 Alexander Zverev 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3)
Defeated #20 Francis Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
