tenner Fritz to serve ready FL why would it be that Taylor Fritz has such a commanding six to one head-to-head he's had more command over his game by and large and what I mean by that is a better understanding of his strengths and weaknesses Taylor knows exact he's got a good handle on his identity first serve big forehand control the center of the Court TFO has more options Adept kind of all over the court loves to get into the net really nice slice backand you will Almost Never See Taylor Fritz hit a slic backand but the biggest thing Mary and Robbie is that Taylor Fritz's bad days are better than Francis boy that says a lot right there that's so well said Jim and Francis has been working really hard to bring that bad day level up but his his ability is not quite as solid as as Taylor's to to remain concentrated for long long periods and maybe that's because he rides the waves of emotion more yeah that's that sounds about right and if you are that emotional and that high energy as Francis chfo is a few bad moments and there's the set can do that and he is a lot quicker than Taylor trits isn't He 14 to you can see how quick he is onto that Mary and a frozen rope of a back can yeah use go Advantage Fritz that stays hit get him Fritz Taylor Fritz can that was pretty special [Music] Fran say for to [Applause] serve 5 30 love really nice technique modern classic technique is how I would describe Taylor Fritz it's a power game two-handed backhand beautiful time there but it's gets more out of the modern textbook than certainly the homemade Strokes of Francis TFO which are uniquely his with the technique Fritz is able to handle hard Pace into his forehand a little more easily than Francis TFO which has a lot more wrist action a lot more parts to to perfectly time his Strokes far more repeatable on the forehand on the backhand Francis is right there with him but they're both highly repeatable when the ball's coming slowly at them it's when you take time away from francis's for and he gets rushed it's hard for him to he's offered up a break point with that [Applause] game [Applause] Fritz britz leads two games to live an anxious start down there for uh Francis Robbie heart's worst case scenario is in a gym looking like you have a comfortable hold and then you get broken and it's going to be a obviously a huge battle within the overall War their returning numbers are almost identical when you have a look at the return games one but Fritz conversion of break points has been significantly better than Francis is up to this stage and it came to the four right there love what you were saying about how really knows his game and I think that is for me it's it's the most clearly evident Under Pressure where I see very little change in the way that he plays in big pressure moments versus how he plays earlier on in the game Rob I think that's just about the biggest compliment you can give to a competitor if they can manage pressure the way they can the pressure free situations and treat those imposters right exactly just the this just the same that's what the the greatest of all time have done thir T in Mary we got all you were mentioning Taylor's mom sitting there and I was just having a look at his dad my Fritz standing up and I tell you what the Apple doesn't fall for from the tree it's tall and Regal is this guy looks as Taylor 40 15 he got his Dead's height 6' five is Taylor Fritz TFO about 6'2 14 that's [Applause] it let first service game critz a solid start from Taylor critz [Applause] go let first service [Applause] if this match becomes just about forehand and backhands from the back of the court advantage Taylor Fritz where tifo has the advantage is his net play so far he's only been into the net one time didn't win that point that was the the forehand volley that he misplayed on break point well we're talking on the break about how Taylor Fritz feels very comfortable against Francis tfo's second serve TFO has one of the slower second serves in the top 20 and given what Robbie was saying about the size of Taylor Fritz he's got a a big Strike Zone to attack it so this is a key Battleground tonight second serve points how can Francis win more than [Music] half and just off the four Frances has actually visited the net by far away the most and with some decent success as well conversion rate at net has been in the high 60s almost been in about 50% more than Yanik sin Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz about the same they've come in 108 and 109 times respectively and that return right there than most you were talking about how often players lean to the left after they hit that second Serv just 81 mph Robbie that's not going to cut it that is just sitting up on a te for Taylor you got to jam him into the body probably more that's a good look at the back hand that is a clean shot and that is welcome for Tio to get a chance to get on the board 14 that's it it [Applause] Great lead three against to one firsto you can hear his team telling him to compete I mean obviously to Americans and this place is going to be happy for any outcome but you see some of the celebrities I got to assume a lot of them are guests of Francis ffo I don't think Taylor Fritz personally knows Fat Joe maybe he does he's a rapper for mustard he's a DJ and a producer thinking that's a TFO guy bunch of basketball players including Klay Thompson he's here Dallas Mavs I think we burn cops want to see TFO do something special here tonight you follow me what I'm saying I think there are quite a few people who would love to see tifo do well tonight uh he electrifies this place he is box office these guys would like this building to be cold that's that's Taylor's team they don't want a lot of heat they don't want a lot of energy cuz if if this place is quiet that means Taylor Fritz's racket is working like a silencer oh now that is the kind of Point wants to play get Fritz moving make it about creativity Dynamic movement and then bring the crowd in he knows how to make this place crackles boy is AC what a combo The Crowd Goes mild when Fritz does something great but I honestly don't think he cares no he's not in it for that he's in it to win it period and Francis is in a win it in it to win it too but a byproduct of that is it's it's fun for him cuz the crowd really boosts [Music] him and also soon he can get back on track get the break it will benefit him I feel like this could be a huge plot point in the outcome of the opening set BR has only been broken five times thus far in the tournament his team told Francis to take a chance on these second serves advantage tful Tri opening set of the semi-final 25th seated rit in straight sets so he awaits the winner here CER won the first major of the year on the same surface in melbour [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] you go Jim you called it he is all over that second delivery TFO has a live arm he has has a a really nice high end on his first serve into 130s quite comfortably 1 to I guess that's the answer to not getting you a second serve attack too of we've talked about this earlier in the tournament Robbie the difference on his average first serve speed and average second serve speed is among the biggest spread in men's tennis second serve very light on speed on the and that was a misplayed point by Tio should have won it three or four different times 1 where' it go sideways for well it didn't hit the overhead hard enough yeah that was for starters to hit the forehand approach shot before that straight into Taylor Fritz who was moving early so good job by Fritz to hang in there and steal it but this game should be 405 good chance for Taylor now this is where the lack of speed against someone as rangy and aggressive as Fritz is really hurts Francis he needs to go bigger on his second against Taylor that's better 1340 [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] yes averaging for the tournament 56% first serves I think tonight has to better that number if he wants the right result just my gutfield J [Applause] Advantage Che just caught the inside of his shoes where the r is a little harder and it doesn't grip as easily into the court let first service GLE it's no start for dead even now threey in the house saw Trevor imman also Master's Champion pro golfer here lots of uh well-known folks with a big interest in this match and I can't say that I'm surprised it's been a little bit of an up and down start for both players again trying to get comfortable in this environment sometimes takes a little time yeah [Applause] there's a little glance down the court to each other off that one a rise smile these guys have been battling since at least 2014 that we know more than the Juniors Mary I think they were playing for fifth place at cazo I mean nothing changes right only the destination they were both a few feet shorter when this rivalry began I found that so cool you know playing on these smaller venues and then 10 years later on the biggest of stages in the Juniors it was all tiao and Tommy Paul Tommy Paul they had Taylor's number at that point yeah oh 15 for two and they made the semi-finals of a major before he did Tommy made one in Australia Francis here a couple of years ago and then Along Comes young Ben Shelton and he got in there first too he's a lot younger than these guys Taylor's like wait a second but he's here now sure is he wrote a note to himself July 3rd 2021 at Ron he lost to Alexander Vera but he typed a note to himself and I'll take a I'll dry clean this message for you he wrote nobody in the whole world is under achiev harder than you you were so bleeping good but 40 in the world cuz that's how far he dipped after that losses there get your bleep and bleep together here in the open he beats ver to arrive at his first major semifinal [Applause] 3040 another second serve on a break point for TFO to enjoy game triam for franch chiako new balls please let go dear body hle that was the best rally from F this evening quality of theing and especially the depth from my side view was top tier from Taylor stay aggressive this game come on one he was late on the this F here was like he was trying to figure out whether he should hit an overhead or typical Vol and he just kind of was in between got risty with it pronated enough to keep it in play and Taylor not able to do enough on that pass so that could have been love 30 that's a great balls always make that serve a little more challenging to return this surface so Speedy here and Flushing Meadows also makes it difficult not a lot of friction on this tennis court these balls they slide through pretty quickly and less now than from when this tournament started let second service vir go [Music] fol way come on [Applause] let first service just been told to get his toss higher 13 14 I'm curious to know what the T first percentag is thus far please sure 56% Robbie he's made 14 out of 25 when second serves one he's had 11 points and he's only won three of those so if he misses he tends to pay a big price new 56 is tournament average for him got a feeling he's got to be 62 is the number in my mind if he's 62% or first serves I think he's got a nice shot but he's going to have to maintain that I think in the sets that he can maintain that I like his chances Advantage careful there game Tri three now five straight games T tell the frz needs a hand breake right right now moving away from him in a hurry five G to three you hear francis's team encouraging him to be a problem for Taylor Fritz be disruptive go down the line more Fritz wants to play at a crosscourt patterns that's how he gets the ball in his wheelhouse eventually working his way into a forehand finish go down the line you are on defense if you're if fo goes down the line Fritz is D and up he's look to get that one what shot L 15 standing inside the Baseline for a first Ser hit it hit it come [Applause] on thought about [Music] it tou it that's you old 14 Fran missed that one had a big smile on his face turned around looked up at his team he's foe is feeling his flow right now is he yeah liking that scoreboard clearly feeling himself a little too much on that one he 360 after the return of serve and tried the behind the back but he still will sit down and think about serving the opening set or did Taylor fritz or was it a combo cider it was an unforced error on the break point that allowed Francis to get back on serve Taylor handed that to him missed a first serve and then missed a forehand in that same point he offered some assistance but Francis certainly has been doing his job too [Music] fr's job is to make this an unpatterned match his job is to confuse and confound Taylor Fritz and unsettle him go down the line get to the net use the slice asymmetrical attack that's the one a symmetrical Warfare the tenis variety and Francis is a guy who can do that as he's showing us the question I have is it worked as well in their past matches as it is tonight is the moment impacting Taylor Fritz is that leveling his game off I don't know maybe 14 love through down set points G set Robbie con donic Center awaits the winner of this one frez deserve Taylor Fritz starts the second set 5 [Applause] [Applause] Fritz's backend has not been there this evening he's made a lot of unforced Errors it seems like off that particular wing [Applause] 13 15 these guys as you both beautifully brought up they know each other so well basically Blood Brothers in Arms trying to make it out to the Pro Tour together and here they are but that knowledge for Taylor Fritz he knows that Francis TFO can come and go concentration wise he knows he's not as good of an athlete as TFO is by the the general metrics of agility and strength and things of that more Olympic nature but he also knows that shot for shot he's right there if not a little better and concentration wise he's had an edge historically so for Fritz you wouldn't see him Panic anyway he's not that tight but he's going to trust going to get a chance he's going to trust that TFO is going to have a little minor dip first game [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Taylor stand bring in the energy that's I think that's a good tip for Taylor [Music] Fritz I don't know if making him look slow or is a little a little slow tonight this court can make you look slow too cuz it's so speedy and D so h game careful one g s [Applause] sense just a constant flow of encouragement and instruction coming from Francis tfo's team Taylor's team more reflective of their athlete their little quieter let first service Michael Russell will get involved at times but he's very selective with it and often times more listening to his player talk to him Taylor is very AP to break down the match in real time in tournaments and give information to his team and they sit there and they absorb it the reverse of what happens with Francis [Applause] 301 return come on hit it 41 Robbie you'll be pleased to know that there have been 12 first serves hit between the two players in this set and there's only been one that has missed both on fire how about that brilliant serving from both those to start the set Fritz leads two games to one second set first Seto your favor how do you go from being The Gambler who's hoping for a hot hand to be in the cassino where the odds are in your favor [Applause] that's what his match here early on he at times this year he's taken away some of his aggression and lean back on more consistent play and he's become house money led him to two major titles in a row but here he didn't have the patience and it cost him I think it's fair to say what J suffered from that same fate both both on Olympic hangovers 14 this guy got a medal he got a bronze medal didn't he yeah in doubles with Tommy yeah they had to work hard for it as well Game Olympic started on a Saturday and Taylor Fricks entered all three disciplines hoping to get at least a couple medals out of it he playing mix and Coco golf that felt like a medal but by that Wednesday the following Wednesday he was only in one event and that was the doubles there was one day that Wednesday he played more than 9 hours of tennis cuz he was steing everything he was looking pretty ragged by the end of that day I you're talking about Casino I'm I'm just thinking of Andre Agy when he first started you know he was a big Gambler and then he got so solid didn't he and so professional then he became the house which is what you want to be if you're living in Las Vegas 30 [Applause] love Agy a two-time champion here [Applause] 4 he really doesn't panic does he he doesn't complain either he played all that tennis of the Olympics you didn't hear a peep out of him impress about how unfair and unjust it was no he was he just got on with it yeah peop get him prin well the good serving continues unabated here both players nailing first serves and we are on serve the second set has been full of good serving both ends of the net hasn't dropped a point on serve in his last three service Games held it love Taylor Fritz been doing much the same in this set 13 up point he's gone against the server so this has turned into some serve bot action out here from some guys who had trouble holding serve in set one 141 14 15 so the street comes to an end but tiao still well and truly in command in this game Go game new balls please three G home second pretty awesome really in the serving Department here each player has only dropped one point the set wi serving there's look at francis's racket stash he'll send him back to get him rung typically strings him in the mid 40s Loosely strung how many times can a professional tennis player rering a racket before it's gone dead on me I can't speak to to what Francis does but I used to change my whole racket stash out once have six to eight rackets and then every 3 months I would give them away to charity and get a new stash [Music] 30 left this set's moving so quickly in it seventh game theyve not played more than 20 minutes in this set yet and it's just going seemingly inevitably to a tiebreaker but boy these guys are serving no one's missing Mar Robbie you'll be happy to know Francis serving 77% in this set is brought his service average of to nearly 70 for the match yeah some strong numbers very little breeze down there tonight is there it's absolutely perfect it's definitely cooled since the start of the match Jim game Fritz Fritz leades four games to three second set first [Applause] set semi-finals here on a Friday evening fourth major of the season for Francis tifo it's rescuing his season in a way cuz Australia he lost in the second round same at Roland garos Wimbledon one round better and that was a Tipping Point moment don't you think that turned things around absolutely he lost in five but revived his whole game and attitude about it well he was so heartbroken when he lost here in the quarterfinals last year to that it really sent him spinning and he didn't really reclaim his Mojo until that Wimbledon result and then it's been pretty positive since then but for Taylor Fritz this tournament here last year was a springboard moment for him he got to the quarterfinals and lost to jokovic but he hadn't been past the third round at any of the other Majors last year since then he's been in the second week of all of them in fact he's been in the quarterfinals or better at most of them four or five in a row that's so sweet but slams were bitter for Fritz he was searching for some slam Swagger and really struggling to get any I mean this is a guy who came here a couple years back and said he thought he could win the tournament cuz Novak wasn't here right what happened in the opening round Tracy Austin's kid Brandon H played great got him game four games home second set also highlights the power of some of those Junior matchups right you can give someone a hard time in the Juniors just because their ranking is significantly higher than yours just you don't fear them there and a nice carry over [Applause] 1 Lev on tell you what he had on the the Jets to get there but given the feel that Frances has he'll be disappointed he couldn't make this one count comfortable service game here not without a little bit of drama but four Taylor Fritz has really cleaned up his act and set two only one unforced error against eight winners it's good thing too serving so stay needs five GES to fall second set Fritz on the brink of AET if he can get a break both of these men on the brid being the first American male since Andy rodic to play in a US Open final just to had Andy up on the big screen here he's in the building wondering if he's no longer going to be a trivia question he's made it very clear he'd love to kick that that one lose 21 years there's Andy just stepping out 21 years since an American male won a major and that was this man here be Carlos alcaraz's coach Carlos Ferrero Tracy a won this twice at age 16 and then 18 no that ticking I'm sorry you're going to have to move along danger time here neither of these players have any attention in their service games in this set and now just two points stand between a set a piece and Taylor [Applause] Fritz 87 mph second serve got hammered a 125 mph Ace gets him out of trouble tell the fritz hopped around after that point getting his feet moving you don't often see him do that after a point he's trying to rev up shoting quite great Francis Cho ended up in the photographer's pick big try to track this down it's a really good stop volley by Taylor Fritz did just enough with it he's not as comfortable up there as big foe is but he's gotten what he needed Francis just trying to hit the brakes can he put the braks on this break point he jammed him up and did it service winner yes [Applause] don't je such a good play against Taylor you don't want to let him recover as good out of the corners as some of the other top 20 players got to take time away from him because his ball striking is so good Go game five game home second set let's go let's go energy here energy on first game with any inry in it in that set and it's sure had a lot good body serve was the escape hatch for TFO in that game set [Music] point so good what a shot the spin control was gorgeous [Applause] don't I believe he's requesting more towels is Taylor it's an odd time to do it no that's nicely that he's been great at the net D fit is hardly put a foot wrong when he's got [Applause] game Fritz another one home britz leads six games to five [Music] [Applause] tfo's gotten a lot of value out of that wide serve in the dece court and then going to the open court following an in with Fritz Burns him with a beautiful backhand pass that's awesome and the door opens he kicked it down with some big forehand love [Applause] the quality of these two opening points on serve fantastic that's some big time plays this will test Tio's nerve here I love 30 love set points for Taylor Fritz de even game and second set first a love great besides a two out of three set match the winner plays Yik CER for the championship on Sunday off 15 [Applause] F love the ti take oh what a save what an asterisk alongside that point that could be huge in the early stages of this third set TFO should have been in he had a golden opportunity to come in earlier Jim but have you either of you ever seen Taylor Fritz look this comfortable at the net no he's worked so hard on it hasn't he Michael Russell and Paul anacon working so hard to convince him that he could be so effective up there with all the weight of shot that could get him today really you see an opening there and look at this opening to start the thir 14 what anticipation but it's the hand skills here and the short back swing it really serves him well as that back and Sears the line absolute bullet let first service Teo had no breakpoint chance chances in the second set he has a couple right here to open set three snuffs one with a side Winder [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] got massive props to Michael Russell all the way there on the right High I'm highly respectful of the sudden glut of race carlike sponsor patches he's gotten in the last couple of days [Applause] is some good money in that let those sponsors know that the camera is going to light upon him so many times in a in a big match Michael Russell played the tour for 17 years himself got up to 60 in the world played for the University of Miami had a lot of injuries Taylor's coach's most famous match was against Gustavo Kon at the 2001 French Open he had match point in the third against the top seed and Kon somehow got out of that fourth round and ended up winning his second of Three French opens Michael says coaching Taylor Fitz is a 24 seven jop one he loves sounds like parenting no kidding it does and in fact the last match Michael Russell ever played was here in 2015 the same year that Fritz won the junior Championship also famous at the end of that I don't know if you remember whena drew that huge H in the middle of the Court when he came back after saving that match point did that a few times didn't he then Novak jokovic saw gooa in in the crowd when he won one of his French opens and asked permission to draw a heart just as Goa did that's these guys both have heart right now does TFO have concentration now that he's up a break this is one of those moments that are really vital for Francis to be locked in as Taylor will be focused on trying to get right back in this any drop of level from foe is probably going to be fatal in this service game oh man tell Mary he's given t a Lifeline there because from my angle that was going out oh the when he took in the air Y and then he got tangled up in this part of the rally and it was over that was a piece of art right there that little fo and flick game go g TOS right [Applause] now unpredictable unpredictable unpredictable that's what he is and he is so damn fast that he gives himself a lot of options doesn't he prin is quick but Tommy Paul's quicker okay fair but apart from Carlos alarz who also has remarkable foot speed is there anyone as compulsively watchable as tiao not on this court no not on this court something about this court is lights of Fire under Francis and then everyone else catches the heat [Applause] wave it how do you find X Factor I don't know but I know it when I see say the same thing [Applause] 13 something about the way obviously he lights up the room when he wins a point goes into his Statue of Liberty pose with his fist flying up in the air like he's holding a torch yeah [Applause] F gets the last word one of Fran's magical qualities is that he's doing something that's very very difficult right now he's doing something that is very binary you're either going to have a a great feeling at the end of the match or you're going to feel like Poss possibly the worst you've ever felt but there are moments in this match where he makes it very clear how much fun he is having out there and that brings people along for the ride with them brings me along for the ride too I'm right there with you yeah shotgun in the back seat new B please absolutely leads two G 51 30 the type of Point Francis TFO loves to play because he's in control and Taylor Fritz is just lunging for shots not able to get on the front foot 14 L if this match wasn't a one-on-one contest if this was just target practice out here someone was just feeding balls and they set up Targets on the court Taylor Fritz might be number one in the world for ground strokes might be might not be my goodness when he's in position dominate as good as anybody his feet underne to rock the forehand very often did he that's a good job by tifo keep him at Bay yes Rob sorry Jim how much of that comes from the fact that he wasn't a great mover as a youngster so he had to compensate by being really accurate and a good ball Striker and of course as's movement and fitness has improved well that's almost like the best combination because then you get into better positions you can go for your shots even more often yeah I don't know the answer to that Robbie I wasn't there watching him his game develop but whatever they did they did it well there's another big guy that played in the 1990s who reached the final here and another major and he had a a really great return and he could really play a lot of good front foot tennis didn't quite get over the line lost a heartbreaker here to Andre Agassi one year in the final that's the big fella Todd Martin five Setter and like Taylor he understood that movement wasn't his best strength so he around it by making it very hard for people to exploit that and that's what Taylor does so well takes someone pretty Adept to make him uncomfortable all the time yep 14 Agy was down two sets to one and he hadn't yet lost serf he speaks of that final fondly now we figured out a way to beat Todd game frz [Music] [Applause] three right here [Applause] here oh 30 love stay down come on 1 15 not making for serves in this game not making a lot in this set but doing well with his second serve for the most part here in set number three lot of the time in this David Whit on the right Jordi Aran on the left the coaching staff have been barking at Francis to try and encourage him to get more neck clearance on his serve with different styles chin up left arm up stay up and he stays up in the out hold serve four games to two third time that's one of the big challenges talk about keeping your concentration when you break so early on in a set it's still a long way to go hold that serve number of times with the lead here got too casual on it Mary yeah he thought he had made it before he had made it that's right and I mean he has such soft skills this is a shot he makes blindfold that's a blindfold shot for him good point on [Music] go but honestly by my Reckoning YouTube TFO has played one bad game broken to that second set for Fritz yeah I agree this base level has been superb yeah after that three love deficit right Robbie yep one bad game 1 15 he's talked about yes the head-to-head record against Taylor is suboptimal one win against six defeats but he's had have also never played him here on ash I like my chances on ash he's liking this score line that's for [Applause] sure tayl on just improving the strike on his back end I I feel now [Music] game PR games here we go [Applause] [Applause] 5 an effective serve for TFO at times in this tournament and it's been called for at times by his team with hand signals to go right into the chest of his opponents I understand why a belly button serve into frit because he's so tall work great it's hard for him to get out of his way but you're right he's been he's been getting that signal that call all tournament long yeah remember the PO match guys when he was trying to close it out another tall guy arms yeah again care Oh gu that for therefore leads five games to three thir [Applause] ATT manufacturing these service games magnificently he lost two points on serve this set TFO and he's not made a lot of for serves Robbie well under 50% good enough playing so well behind it one reason body serves are also effective here is because the speed of the court because the ball just gets on to an opponent faster here gets through the court less reaction time than you would have in say a hardcore tournament like Indian Wales where it's quite slow and gritty turn that the fritz famously won while injured over a and also injured Nadal that was his dream tournament that's his home tournament for TFO Washington DC is that tournament kind of feels like this one is he's he's yet to win in DC but he's kind of I think shifting allegiance to New York based on his performance The Last 5 Years here 30 all you go Taylor [Music] 40 [Applause] 30 just going to put a little note alongside that forand a little Loosey Goosey for you yeah especially a 30 old gy I mean hit that up the middle of the Court just keep yourself in it all the pressures on Taylor here let's first service four g t needs five games to four for 10 I don't know did you teach your children JY book both very JY anthonyy yeah well this is a big moment here for fo serving for a nice position a nice lead he's been pretty ruthless in his service games as of late given up very few points [Applause] great Point not to on feet that was gritty and that is something you got to give credit to to Taylor all the work he's done physically to get quicker paying off right here might that be enough to get back into this set we'll see that was a huge steal that's three loose forehand now in the end from Top TI Alo two in the last game in there that 16th shot steady now here's a big chance for Fritz oh 80 M an hour love 1 all over that one yeah I didn't like it when Kim was saying I didn't realize this percentage was so low in the set because in my mind he was just holding so easily so subconsciously I thought well those numbers must be good but it's a different kind of Pusher when you're trying to Ser out a set right wonder if that com back to you in the back he touch it come on [Applause] it's a couple of f from Fritz that is routine for him to make that return so to the forehand he missed the point prior that's just pressure that's what this is all about who can handle it better so much at stake let first service [Applause] who loses this match this is the game that H KS 14 13 that's game and through jeer 5 left [Applause] got 14 left again little B hold in the the start of the third the end of games in the low Bowl rather than having to wait three games as they did last year so the energy levels that would dissipate quickly at the end of a set and you'd have to wait till the third game for them to replenish not anymore they really had to hustle after that first service game of Taylor they did they had 49 seconds it's fan friendly no it's that's not exactly how it works I'm just J I know but it's been a big Improvement for the fans to not miss out you might miss the whole thing you don't want to miss that vital break of serve you don't want to miss highlight shots and frankly we want the seats filled anyway this for end was out of order that could be the best for set all match the adrenaline must be csing through him at the moment two sets to one now when he played the semi-final and lost in five sets here to alcaraz a couple of years ago he was down two sets to one he had to grind in the fourth in a breaker to get it to a fifth he's never been [Applause] thise he got thumped in that fifth set by alarz how would you guys rate Taylor Fritz's handling of the situation here so far Mary you know you say he doesn't panic and I kind of wish sometimes he did Panic a little bit up his up his intensity level a little bit you know what I mean but if he's not worried I guess I shouldn't be for but I am [Music] I think I was disappointed for him Jim in the type of game that he played when he had a chance to break back at the tail end of the third there that's very un tailor likee yes he might not be able to break but but he would ask tougher questions from the person on the other side of the net yeah and he didn't do that to right too right if you know [Applause] his team tfo's team has not let him relax at all that's intentional y clearly and it's working they're fighting hard to keep him focused and to keep him locked in as he likes to say and the big biggest Focus for them has been on return to serve games when he was maybe apt to be just a little less intense let first service 30 on [Applause] full C that's pounded 135 milph and TFO was guessing for a wide serve there he was nowhere near that did he even make a move good time for your 10th Ace [Applause] game that's what I want to see from Taylor chis I want to see him play to the crowd 15 there's a few things that have surprised in this match one of them is that Taylor Fritz has been at the net just as much as Francis TFA would have never pick that thought TFO would have a massive advantage in that department and TFO has nearly as many forehand winners as Taylor Fritz both of those definitely eyebrow raising Taylor Fritz's forehands are consistently in the 90s Francis seems thir 15 to want to hit there anyway and he's using spins he's cutting under the ball a lot there tifo moving around Prince's contact points another forehand Miss full T it [Applause] INX here we go that's a back hand born of frustration from Taylor Fritz don't see him play Reckless shots too often [Applause] again TFA seem telling him to keep up the energy you get loose errors at a tail end of a of a service game sometimes they can just bleed over into the next return game and great return from foe there and Fritz is normally reliable twoand or not there right now 5 that was an unusually fast second serve Robbie yeah just beat him for Pace just over milph 105 yeah but that to me is is like that would make me feel good if I was on tfo's team that Fritz feels like he needs to take risk on his second serve he's not feeling good about the rallies at all at the moment and he has good reason to yeah think a combination of that and a bit of frustration we saw at the T end of the last game as you said The Reckless back in I'm just going to go for a big second serve here shot selection is indicating distress from Fritz y oh he' love that one over his beloved backck in [Applause] you see angle [Applause] that point was being built shot by shot beautifully by tiao and he was trying to finish it off there and and just popped up off of it out of his own Strike Zone with the racket it shanked it big exhale for team Fritz there Brit three Gs to two foret two set to [Applause] one both trying to do something they've never done before get to the Sunday of a grand slam [Applause] backand gra 30 l [Music] and Taylor Fitz Gets behind and the rallies On The Run that's when he's most [Applause] [Music] vulnerable he's got to climb on top of TFO in a hurry 14 15 [Applause] [Applause] never thought of Taylor as a pickpocket but he's picked francis's pocket on a few of these points tonight it's not normally his thing in front of all these people Mary some good defense from tell he's still pretty animated he's having a chat with from the opposite side of the Court couple of strong words movements with his hands G difficult the words from Taylor Fritz where his forehand is a joke three games on Fourth set and that is a work of art yet again off that side [Applause] Taylor's waiting for for francis's forehand level to drop because he's played him often enough and practiced with him often enough to know that it does go up and down the elevator yeah good [Applause] shot no don't know francis's backhand is so solid and it's so difficult to attack off of cuz it stays so low and all of us have watched him change direction beautifully with it tonight which has also been tough for Taylor to hang with at times it's awesome right now for him is incredible and you're right it's got to be incredibly frustrating Taylor cuz that's the the first one that he hit in this rally sat up and that's the one that Taylor's probably used to getting and then whip whip two big forehand and the points over you go to the the the tifo forehand to get a ball that's going to have a lot of Top Spin up that sits up high and then you can can go to work on attacking that that was a highly sarcastic smile you better believe it go [Applause] wow I just say Taylor Fritz is just so surprised by the shot tolerance of TFO but he went to work didn't he didn't he just that was brutal gladiatorial combat disguised as a tennis match right there and on the 30 after the 30th shot from TFO he stopped play left the open court for Fritz to hit a winner he conceded that point at the end was it fatigue Maybe much time in that point Here For Broke how can those two Ries count the same it that's exactly I mean the scoring system in this sport [Applause] G Brit needs four games to three fourths T looked Gass at the end of the last return game but had the benefit of 90 seconds of breathing room to get set for this defense of his serve look for Clues here to see if he is feeling winded or if that was just a temporary moment isn't really is he his first couple points that's what you'd want to do if you're Taylor want to play some extended rallies again here and see if TFO is starting to fade a little bit physically do you see that I did in the last game for a moment that 41 shot rally the 31 shot rally certainly tapped him out and he was not interested in and given much energy the next couple of points Happ to do much in this game playing from the center of the court and now with a nice 40 love lead 40 love tried to Teo a couple of for hands they came back yeah keep sing through the leg leg come on stay go come on trying trying to keep his man positive as Mike Russell 14 15 frit seemingly unaware that there should be a physical check happening in this return game he should be testing tifo trying TR to play more extended points he's actually gone the other direction that's that's conversations that typically Paul anacon and Mike Russell might bring to bear a little bit later hey got to be that was a giveaway game and what that did was allow even more breathing room fourth set underwater come on take [Applause] control go Taylor there's no way to know if he's tired unless you ask the question and Taylor didn't ask it there he might not be at all but it' be good information to have tell you what their first back in of Taylor must have caught the very back edge of the [Applause] line such a a big point the opening point on serve is is a massive fluctuation that's a good point again for FR big fluctuation and the chances of holding if you win the first point first is when you lose it it goes from about 89% chance of holding down to 62 those numbers are here at the US Open and men sing of course can find tune them for the better service 13 [Applause] 15 come [Applause] on full T 15 fighting game break in the second set and get involved in this match far away from a fifth set if he can string some points together here [Applause] you can live [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] his mom's hands are swea follow princess TFO has never been this successful defending his second serve against Taylor Fritz in a match never even the match he won the one out of seven that he won the best he's ever done is Win 50% of those points and those are the break even points you're playing from the Baseline he's at 56% tonight because his forehand is so alive [Applause] well going to win more Baseline points than Tano up till now maybe this environment this Stadium this moment this speed of court all of it congealing and putting a lot of concern on team Fritz for sure Char quick update please on the first surf percentage it's low it's low it's 40% this set 50 56 for the match okay back to the tournament average for the match [Applause] yes didn't mean to jinx you Francis plot [Applause] twist follow pee and bage grits game in TFO seven wins against 13 losses but he had a big win here in the third round over Ben Shelton the man who beat him in the quarters here last year one set for the final one set to join Yanik Center on Sunday four 30 L when Fritz won his last [Applause] round against SZ ver I wrote to Paul say what a tough guy frit is and he said of Taylor he's got terrific composure and Trust in his game those two things composure and Trust have gotten him to this final set i' say he also got a fair bit of help at the tail end of that match against ver of in the tie break that was some shaky tennis both both were nervous hey there's a lot at stake again prin that's a terrifing Mike Russell wants to know when the last time Taylor Fritz changed rackets he said was it that the the ninth ball change or the 16th was concerned he might pop a string it seems remember we saw him regripping the racket might be choosing to play with a hot hand there everybody's tense love picking had breather repreve if you want to call it that the opening game with hiset he cannot have a longer hangover than what he's got now he needs to he needs to hold here I feel like the match could slip away from him right here right now if he gets [Applause] broken remember how gut Tia was in 2022 when outs got him in that fifth [Applause] set Yep this is 10 points in a row if my Mass is any good from 405 up [Applause] love [Applause] 4 how did tayor fruit stay so patient so assured that A Moment Like This [Applause] come 96 mile an hour for [Applause] him it it come ready come [Applause] on 13 cing lovely line licking surf they' give a good chunk of his prize money right now for another one of [Applause] [Music] those [Applause] oh come on chis britz leads to [Applause] five the three-hour Mark we crossed over at around about 2 hours and 35 minutes into this match they had that 31 shot rally in which TFO stopped moving after he hit his 30th shot and conceded the next two points quickly seemed to set seem to resettle tell that horrific sequence of events from his lens four five serving he's going need the look Lo he go take it good rhym here we go use it [Applause] clock I'm just not sure that TFO has quite the same movement that he's had it's allowed him to use his forehand with such devastating effect tonight and Fritz looks just fine sure does both teth again and how in the world does Taylor Fritz have the type of endurance that he does he never goes home and takes a week off and trains which is what most people do they need training blocks to build strength and stamina I me he plays he loses first round all the time does but he doesn't he's in the business in the tournaments all the time right he right honestly you're so right I mean I tell you I respect him a lot during the clay Court Season early on in his career americ stay over he would be the Long Ranger every week on the CL in Europe [Music] 15 would you like to have a look under the hood of this guy a couple of games away froming a couple of games away from losing in five ever since I laed his second serve success today I I literally don't think he's won one he's 0 for five in this set and he double faulted away two of them at the tail end of the fourth look at that two points one three T 133 Fritz doing his job exceptionally well he's asking some really difficult questions tell you what the reaction from Fus after he couldn't get that volly over was love the was a big exhale he knows he has got mountain to climb here and again the the Beauty and the brutality of our scoring system where you can be so close to the Finishing Line and then just a couple of moments later it's a long way away 15 this is this is the moment of impact here for both players if Fritz gets that double break hard to see him not coming out on [Applause] top how does he react now with a chance to put this match effectively away hope for two on really Jean's right pressure is a privilege you know what else it is it's a burden yeah pressure stinks doesn't stink okay but it reveals a lot I [Music] [Applause] mean pressure stins isn't as good as same is it 13 14 put that that up on the wall but here here's a moment right here Francis TFO has to have and if Taylor Fritz can get it he's probably going to have his way with this match [Applause] game [Applause] britz needs foures it's supposed to be even in in defeated there supposed to be these two guys playing their best tennis and someone coming out on top this is disappointing for Francis that he's just not able to find it right now I don't know if it's fatigue or frustration but it's evaporated on top of the compound the problem you've got fans just leaving as if to say this is done let's Beat the Traffic out of here [Applause] 15 on the other side in front of me stay at [Applause] home 15 [Applause] 30 we go [Applause] [Applause] [Music] he for [Applause] please Game Reward became the highest ranked American for most of the last three or four years yeah in this match he's a little bit but that still bit small but it's not done yet 15 focus on each point here we go here we go right back come on it's the brutality of this is the beauty in this sport but there's a brutality it's binary there's a winner and a loser and not much in between clock doesn't run out in the first match today the semi-final center with the clear favorite played like wait for the the backai too much for the ball go if he' lost that tournament would have been you know a bad tournament for y and if he lost that match Jack Draper lost that match and had a good tournament he'll go away with a huge amount of confidence and momentum neither one of these players whoever loses this match is not going to think this has been a good tournament even though it really has I know but they won't know that they won't feel that oh this match has got heart lovey Qui [Applause] game crit torit serving for the final Brits needs five GS to one by S where did this guy go and how his tail of fr was how was he able to whistle past the graveyard take take your time and visualize here we [Applause] go tell you what this is a tough watch if you're a TR fan this has got away from him so quickly 1 left [Applause] first service just never stopped believing that he could win this match yep [Music] [Applause] flabby B BR 4 Low [Applause] again settle mat for it three sets to two 46 75 46 64 61 hell a comeback well he never went anyway that's why he's the [Applause] winner it's got to feel good come on guys I know you wanted that other guy but come on 33rd time he's played in a major in a main draw