Taylor Fritz has accomplished a significant milestone by reaching the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time.

The 26-year-old American, who had previously lost all four of his quarterfinal matches, finally secured a spot in the semifinals on Tuesday, winning 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 against the fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

As the No. 12 seed, Fritz is set to play against either fellow American Frances Tiafoe or Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals on Friday. It has been 21 years since Andy Roddick last claimed a Grand Slam title for the United States at the US Open, and he was the last American to compete in a Grand Slam final, which he lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.

Fritz has held the top American rank for much of the past few years, reaching a career-high of No. 5 in early 2023. He has faced disappointments in previous Grand Slam tournaments, including a heartbreaking loss in a fifth-set tiebreak against Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2022, and another five-set defeat to Lorenzo Musetti earlier this year despite taking an early lead.

This time, Fritz remained composed under pressure, winning 81 percent of his first serve points, facing just four break points during the match, and minimizing errors in the critical tiebreaks.

After his win, Fritz expressed that this match felt different compared to his earlier quarterfinals.

“In the past, I was just happy to make it to the quarterfinals. This time, I felt like I had been there enough times not to be satisfied with just that. It genuinely felt different,” Fritz stated during an interview with ESPN.