Injury forces Dimitrov to retire, Tiafoe through to U.S. Open semis

Grigor Dmitrov, right, shakes hands with Frances Tiafoe after retiring from his match on Day 9 of the U.S. Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Injury forces Grigor Dimitrov to retire, Frances Tiafoe through to U.S. Open semis

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Sep 4, 2024 12:49 AM ET

An American male will play for the U.S. Open singles title for the first time since 2006.

Frances Tiafoe defeated Grigor Dimitrov after the Hungarian was forced to retire due to injury in the fourth set.

It's unclear how Dimitrov got injured but the 33-year-old was seen limping near the end of the third set and signaled to his coaches that he wasn't OK. Dimitrov would receive medical attention before attempting to continue the match.

Tiafoe now advances to face fellow countryman Taylor Fritz in the semifinal on Friday.

"You guys get to see me again against another American so Friday is going to be one hell of a day," Tiafoe told ESPN's Christopher Eubanks in his post-game interview.

Frances said all that needed to be said. pic.twitter.com/duW1t8iROy
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2024

Tiafoe now marks the third American player to reach the 2024 semifinals in the men's and women's tournaments along with Fritz and Emma Navarro. Jessica Pegula has an opportunity to join them if she wins her quarterfinal match on Wednesday.

The all-American semifinal match between Tiafoe and Fritz marks the first time since 2005 such a matchup has occurred (Andre Agassi d. Robby Ginepri).

The last American male to win the U.S. Open was Andy Roddick in 2003.

Austen Bundy

Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

More must-reads: