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The US Open 2024 has been electrifying, with Day 9 marked by standout performances from American players and notable controversies. American tennis stars are shining brightly this year, with Emma Navarro, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe all advancing to the singles semifinals.
In other notable highlights, Roger Federer made a stylish return to Flushing Meadows, his first appearance since retiring in 2022. From Emma Navarro doubling down on her criticism of Zheng Qinwen to Alexander Zverev’s candid reflections on his loss to Taylor Fritz, the day was packed with memorable events.
Here's a look at these standout moments from a riveting Day 9:
American talent on display at this year’s New York Major
Three American tennis stars Emma Navarro, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe have secured their spots in the singles semifinals, making this a momentous occasion for American tennis.
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Emma Navarro, the 13th seed, has reached her maiden Grand Slam semifinal. The American cruised past Anna Blinkova, Arantxa Rus, and Marta Kostyuk in the first three rounds.
Navarro then pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament by defeating defending champion Coco Gauff 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the fourth round. In the quarterfinals, she dispatched the 26th seed Paula Badosa 6-2, 7-5 to reach the semifinals, where she will take on last year’s US Open runner-up Aryna Sabalenka.
Another American woman, Jessica Pegula, has a chance to reach the semifinals, provided she can overcome top seed Iga Swiatek in their quarterfinal encounter.
On the men's side, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe have also made it to the semifinals, where they will face each other. This highly anticipated match marks the first all-American men’s Grand Slam semifinal since Andre Agassi defeated Robby Ginepri at the 2005 US Open.
The 12th-seeded Fritz reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal with victories over Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Matteo Berrettini, Francisco Comesana, and eighth seed Casper Ruud en route to the last eight, where he defeated fourth seed Alexander Zverev 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3).
The 20th-seeded Tiafoe cruised past Aleksandar Kovacevic, Alexander Shevchenko (walkover), 13th seed Ben Shelton, 28th seed Alexei Popyrin, and ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov (walkover) to reach his second semifinal in New York.
In men's doubles, the 13th-seeded American duo of Jackson Withrow and Nathaniel Lammons have advanced to the semifinals, where they will take on the seventh-seeded Australian pair, Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson. The winner of this match will move on to the final to face either the fourth-seeded pair, Marcelo Arevalo/Mate Pavic, or the 10th-seeded German duo, Kevin Krawietz/Tim Putz.
In the women's doubles semifinal, the third-seeded Czech-American duo Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend are set to face Zhang Shuai and Kristina Mladenovic. The winner will earn a spot in the final against either the 10th-seeded pair of Chan Hao-ching/Veronika Kudermetova or Lyudmyla Kichenok/Jelena Ostapenko.
Adding to her impressive tournament run, Taylor Townsend, along with her mixed doubles partner Donald Young, has reached the final where they will face the third-seeded Italian pair, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
Roger Federer visited US Open for the first time since retirement
Roger Federer made a stunning comeback to the US Open, donning a sleek all-black ensemble. This marked his first appearance at Flushing Meadows since retiring from professional tennis in September 2022.
The five-time US Open champion, who last competed at the event in 2019, attended the evening session on September 3, which included a women’s singles quarterfinal between last year’s runner-up Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen, as well as a men’s singles quarterfinal featuring Grigor Dimitrov and Frances Tiafoe.
Watch the video here:
Emma Navarro stood firm in her criticism of Zheng Qinwen
Emma Navarro reiterated her previous remarks about Zheng Qinwen stemming from their contentious third-round match at the Paris Olympics, which the latter won 6-7(7), 7-6(4), 6-1 before eventually claiming the gold medal.
The match concluded with a frosty handshake and a brief exchange at the net. In a press conference after their intense encounter, Navarro stated that she did not respect Zheng as a competitor, criticizing her “cut-throat” attitude for hindering camaraderie in the locker room.
Zheng responded to the criticism, expressing her willingness to listen to Navarro’s grievances and improve as both a player and a person. She also clarified that she did not perceive the comments as a personal attack.
When asked at the ongoing US Open about the controversial Olympic match, Navarro said she felt disrespected by Qinwen during their encounter but chose not to elaborate further.
“Yeah. I don't want to go super into the weeds with it, but I think during that match and, you know, on the practice court and the last few times l've played her, because we have been playing each other since we were juniors, I felt just a little bit disrespected by her. You know, I don't want to, like I said, go too into detail with it," Emma Navarro said.
"But yeah, I think she didn't necessarily treat me or the sport with respect. That's why I said what I said after the match. But, yeah, that's it,” she added.
Zheng Qinwen shared a cold handshake with Aryna Sabalenka following the former's US Open QF loss
Zheng Qinwen exchanged a cold handshake with second seed Aryna Sabalenka at the net after the former's US Open quarterfinal defeat.
In a rematch of this year’s Australian Open final, Sabalenka clinched a 6-1, 6-2 victory, reaching the semifinals at the New York Major for the fourth consecutive year. Frustrated by her crushing loss, seventh seed Zheng offered a seemingly cold handshake to Sabalenka.
Check out the pictures here:
Alexander Zverev discussed his "terrible" US Open 4R loss to Taylor Fritz
Alexander Zverev shared his thoughts after his 6-7(2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(3) loss to 12th seed Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open, a repeat of their fourth-round encounter at Wimbledon in July.
In the post-match press conference, Zverev expressed frustration over losing focus on his game plan and missing crucial shots during key moments.
"I don't remember since being on Tour hitting my backhand this badly. I just don't," Zverev said. "I was missing shots which were in the middle of the court with no pace, in the bottom of the net. Terrible. Just absolutely terrible by me."
The German took full responsibility for the loss, acknowledging that Fritz was the better player and deserved the victory.
"[Taylor] absolutely deserved to win today. I'm not taking anything away from him. He played quite a good match. I did nothing to deserve to win," he added.
This was Zverev's second consecutive quarterfinal loss at the US Open. The World No. 4 had a pretty solid run at the Grand Slams this season, reaching the fourth round and beyond in all four Majors, including a final run at the French Open.
