Francis Tiafoe advanced to his second U.S. Open semifinal late Tuesday night after his opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, had to retire due to injury. Tiafoe, who reached the semifinals last year as well, will compete against fellow American Taylor Fritz on Friday.
This matchup marks the first time in nearly two decades that two American men will meet in a U.S. Open semifinal. The last American man to secure a U.S. Open title was Andy Roddick in 2003.
Dimitrov was in a close match, having just won the second set in a tiebreaker when he seemed to lose his momentum. He appeared to slow down in the third set and left the court to receive treatment for a reported groin issue after Tiafoe took a 2-1 lead in sets. When he returned, it was clear that his condition hadn’t improved, and he managed to win only one game out of five before conceding the match to Tiafoe.
This incident is part of a trend of mid-match retirements seen throughout this year’s tournament.
In tennis, a retirement occurs when a player is unable to continue the match, allowing their opponent to advance without playing. This can happen due to illness, injury, or disciplinary actions. Tiafoe’s quarterfinal win against Dimitrov will officially be recorded as a walkover, a term often used interchangeably with retirement to indicate that the match did not conclude as scheduled.