Frances Tiafoe's U.S. Open tale which already includes a win over Rafael Nadal along the way to Friday's semifinal against No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz is about so much more, too. It is a significant step forward for American men's tennis right now and could help grow the sport in the future, too.
Two days after downing Rafael Nadal, Frances Tiafoe defeated Andrey Rublev 7-6 (3), 7-6 (0), 6-4 to become the first American man to reach the US Open semifinals since Andy Roddick in 2006.
About 20 minutes after Frances Tiafoe earned the first trip to the U.S. Open semifinals by an American man since 2006, he met up in an Arthur Ashe Stadium foyer with a host of friends, Washington Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal among them.