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One of the secrets of Frances Tiafoe’s great US Open campaign lies in the handle of his racquet. Changing the way he grips it when returning his opponents’ serves is paying dividends this fortnight, and as a result he is in the quarter-finals. The small adjustment the American has made has been causing his opponents problems, and it has made him a better returner.

So, what exactly has he changed? His Argentine coach, Jordi Arconada, explained to ATPTour.com.

“He’s someone who, specifically on the forehand return, at the last moment changes his grip and he likes to block a lot, and that’s something we’re trying to stop him doing,” he said.

Before this North American hard-court swing, an almost continental grip was the one he preferred for returning, but this limited him if the server fired at his forehand. The result was that he was not always able to comfortably hit a shot that, under normal circumstances, he executes with more of a western grip.

The addition of David Witt to his coaching team in July led to a change in that regard.

Jannik Sinner is the man to beat in tie-breaks.

The Italian has won 13 of his past 14 tie-breaks and showed up in the biggest moments against Tommy Paul during his fourth-round win at the US Open on Monday. He won tie-breaks in sets one and two en route to reaching the quarter-finals.

“I had those periods where I lost more tie-breaks. I mean, it's normal, but you try to learn from this. I always try to [enjoy the pressure]. With tie-breaks you have it and break points you have it,” Sinner said. “I come from skiing. When skiing, you make one mistake and the game is over or the race is over. In tennis, it's a bit of a different mentality and that is [why I embrace it].”

Sinner has often produced his best level in the biggest moments this season, highlighted by his Australian Open victory in January when he rallied from two sets down to clinch his maiden major.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings enjoys playing the big points and feel that it makes the hard work in training pay off.

There will be an all-American men’s semi-final at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the 2005 US Open.

Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will meet in the last four at the US Open on Friday, guaranteeing that one of the home stars will become a first-time major finalist. The winner will become the first American man to make a Slam singles final since 2009 Wimbledon (Andy Roddick, l. to Federer).

All-American Grand Slam Men's Singles SF or F (since 2000)

Fritz defeated fourth seed Alexander Zverev 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) in Tuesday’s first quarter-final before Tiafoe set a showdown against his countryman. He led Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-1 when the ninth seed retired.

The last time there was an all-American men’s semi-final at a major, 19 years ago at Flushing Meadows, Andre Agassi defeated Robby Ginepri 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Frances Tiafoe advanced to his second major semi-final Tuesday at the US Open, where Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire with the American leading 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-1.

During the latter stages of the eighth game in the third set, Dimitrov’s movement and baseline firepower quickly dropped off, seemingly due to a leg issue. The Bulgarian called the physio at the end of the third set and went off court to receive treatment.

Dimitrov tried his best to continue on, but was clearly hindered. He retired three hours and four minutes into what was a thrilling quarter-final battle prior to the ninth seed’s injury.

“Obviously, it’s not the way I want to get through. But obviously happy to get through,” said Tiafoe, who shared a warm embrace with Dimitrov following the match. “Another semi-final here. Incredible.”

Tiafoe produced an inspired performance filled with electric shotmaking that brought alive the home crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Can Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson turn their North American success into a maiden major team title at the US Open?

The Aussies, who this season have won three trophies together on North American soil, ousted top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6(4), 6-4 on Tuesday to reach the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows. Purcell and Thompson, seeded seventh, won 81 per cent of their first-serve points and fended off all five of the break points they faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Up next for Purcell and Thompson will be the lone American team remaining, Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow. The 13th seeds are into their first major semi-final after overcoming 11th seeds Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-4.

"We kind of felt like we had the momentum the whole time, even in those battle games we had late in the second," Withrow said. "Wes and Nikola, we know the guys very well. We played them in 's-Hertogenbosch earlier this year, it was six and six, close match. They're not going to go away easily."

Lammons and Withrow have claimed four team titles this season, including in Winston-Salem the week before the US Open.

Roger Federer is back at the US Open.

The five-time tournament winner returned to Flushing Meadows for the evening session on Tuesday, featuring a women's singles quarter-final between Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen and a men's singles quarter-final between Grigor Dimitrov and Frances Tiafoe.

Federer earned an 89-14 record at the season's final major, winning five consecutive titles in New York from 2004-08. The Swiss also reached the final in 2009 and 2015.

The 103-time tour-level titlist last competed at the US Open in 2019, when he reached the quarter-finals. Federer retired after the 2022 Laver Cup.

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Fourth seed Alexander Zverev called his backhand his ‘most reliable shot’ on Tuesday at the US Open. But the German’s double-hander met the negative side of a double-edged sword in a quarter-final loss to home favourite Taylor Fritz.

“I don't remember since being on Tour hitting my backhand this badly. I just don't,” Zverev said in his post-match press conference. “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.”

In a tight four-set battle which lasted nearly three-and-a-half hours inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, Zverev committed 15 unforced backhand errors to just one winner off that wing.

“My forehand was okay, actually. My serve was okay. But my most reliable shot, the shot that I'm most known for, the shot that you [could] wake me up at 3 a.m. and I would not miss, was absolutely not there today,” Zverev said. “I have no words for it, to be honest.”

Zverev, who was a finalist in 2020 at Flushing Meadows, also lost to Fritz in the Wimbledon fourth round just two months ago. Their Lexus ATP Head2Head series is now tied at 5-5.

Donald Young, the former No. 38 in the PIF ATP Rankings who reached two ATP Tour finals, is enjoying a dream run in the final tournament of his career, partnering longtime friend Taylor Townsend to the semi-finals of the US Open mixed doubles event. The lefties are two victories from major glory.

But win or lose, the 35-year-old Young will not be remembered just for his impressive accolades — winning 124 tour-level matches, including three against Top 10 opponents — and making waves in the sport by winning the Australian Open boys’ singles event aged 15 before debuting on the ATP Tour a month later. Young will be remembered for the impact he made on future generations.

The American played a critical part in several professionals’ careers, serving as a role model for the likes of Christopher Eubanks and Taylor Townsend. Before playing college tennis for Georgia Institute of Technology, Eubanks traveled as a hitting partner for Young.

“Donald's career meant everything to me. He gave me the opportunity just to train with him every day, which was a privilege in itself. But not only that, he allowed me to see the world with him and see it from the perspective of a professional tennis player,” Eubanks said. “He allowed me to be there as a practice partner and learn the ins and outs on what it's like to be on Tour. In so many ways, he instilled so much confidence that I could actually do it. And I think the biggest thing he did for me was simply just being there and being a big brother, being a tremendous resource to go to when I had various questions or even questions about my game. He instilled so much confidence into my abilities. And he would always tell me, ‘You're good enough, you're good enough. You can play out here too’.”

Coming from southwest Atlanta, there were not many role models who excelled on the pro tour for Eubanks after Jarmere Jenkins and Scoville Jenkins. Young and his parents relocating to Atlanta and running a tennis centre 10 minutes from Eubanks’ house proved critical.

Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan and Maria Sharapova join Daniel Nestor as additions to the International Tennis Hall of Fame ballot for the Class of 2025. The four players are nominated in the Player Category, the ITHF recently announced.

The Official Voting Group, comprised of tennis journalists, historians and Hall of Famers, will cast their ballots throughout the next month. The most recent player to be inducted in the Player Category was Leander Paes, in the Class of 2024.

The Bryan brothers are the most successful men’s doubles team in history, collecting 16 major titles together and leading the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings for 438 weeks. The twins took home the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, defeating Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final to become just the second doubles team to complete the career Golden Slam after Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge.

The lefty Bob also earned seven mixed doubles titles, while Mike captured four trophies in that category and won the 2012 London Olympics bronze medal in mixed doubles alongside Lisa Raymond. Mike won the most men’s major doubles titles in history (18). He partnered Jack Sock in 2018 to lift the trophy at Wimbledon and the US Open.

Nestor won 12 major doubles titles, including four in mixed doubles. The Canadian took home the gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics alongside Sebastien Lareau and won four Nitto ATP Finals, becoming the first man to win every major, ATP Masters 1000 event, the Nitto ATP Finals and an Olympic gold medal — a feat later matched by the Bryan brothers. Nestor held the top spot in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings for more than 100 weeks and became the first player to win over 1000 career doubles matches.

Taylor Fritz carved out a groundbreaking moment on home soil Tuesday at the US Open.

The 12th-seeded American edged fourth seed Alexander Zverev in an intriguing baseline battle in New York to reach his maiden Grand Slam semi-final. Fritz and Zverev went toe-to-toe from deep for much of their three-hour, 26-minute encounter, but the American’s greater consistency under pressure helped him earn a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) victory.

“I feel amazing,” said Fritz, who entered the match 0-4 in last-eight clashes at Grand Slam events, in his on-court interview. “I’ve had a lot of looks at quarter-finals in the past couple of years, and today just felt different. I really feel that it was my time to take a step further and it’s only fitting I’m doing it here on this court at the [US] Open in front of this crowd.”

For the second straight major, Fritz stuck doggedly to his task against Zverev, who is the current No. 2 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Just as he did in his five-set win in the pair’s fourth-round clash at Wimbledon in July, the American outlasted a player renowned for his ability to dig deep for Grand Slam victories.

A landmark moment in the career of @Taylor_Fritz97 ?

With the support of the nation behind him, the American No. 1 reaches his first Grand Slam semi-final!!! @usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/Of0xXVfcSK

For the third time in 2024, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev will face off at a Grand Slam tournament when they meet in the US Open quarter-finals. The pair will take to court during Wednesday’s night session at the hard-court major in New York, where their clash is the second match on from 7 p.m. EDT / midnight BST.

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Sinner rallied from two sets down to defeat Medvedev in the Australian Open final earlier this year. It was the pair’s maiden major meeting, but Medvedev did not have to wait long for revenge as he ousted Sinner in another five-setter in the Wimbledon quarter-finals in July.

Medvedev holds a 7-5 lead overall in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, a rivalry he at one point led 6-0.

For more information on how to watch the duo’s latest clash in New York, click here.

Sam Querrey will long remember his 2016 Wimbledon victory over Novak Djokovic as one of his biggest wins. But there was another big result that flew under the radar over the course of the memorable third-round match that featured three rain delays and an overnight suspension due to darkness.

As the American engineered the shocking upset of the Serbian, a subplot was in play: Querrey was quietly working on pulling off a brazen Wimbledon-towel heist of epic proportions.

While no official statistics are kept in the category, Querrey’s covert effort to smuggle 16 Wimbledon towels into his bag over the course of the match might just be a record.

The former No. 11 in the PIF ATP Rankings revealed the operation on a recent episode of Nothing Major, a new podcast that he is co-anchoring with fellow recently retired American players John Isner, Steve Johnson and Jack Sock.

“Getting the Wimbledon towels is huge,” said Querrey, who uses them at the pool, for drying his dog and (don’t tell The All-England Club!) cleaning up spills. “You get two per match and after the match the ballkids ask for them back, but most of the players just stuff them into their bag and the ballkids don’t say anything."

If the second serve is a window into a players soul, as Mischa Zverev claims, you could say that his brother Alexander Zverev is feeling relaxed, particularly after the first week of the US Open, where he is into the quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive year.

“I used to say that the second service is a reflection of your soul,” says Mischa, former No. 25 in the PIF ATP Rankings and now part of his brother’s team. “If you’re nervous, you will see it on the second serve. Maybe it’ll be slow, less aggressive and more conservative in terms of positioning. But, in that regard, ‘Sascha’ is feeling very confident.”

His stats at this year’s US Open tell no lies. The fourth seed has committed 17 double faults over four matches this fortnight. He reached exactly the same mark just in the fourth round of the event in 2019 against Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, just days after serving up 20 in Cincinnati against the Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

“Sascha always had a great serve, with a very natural motion. He’s one of the players with the most natural serve, but sometimes it would seem to come and go,” explains his brother Mischa.

“We’ve worked a lot on it. Serving is about rhythm, a good throw and getting your legs ready, but not just that. Sascha is really focused on improving it. There are a couple of things here and there that he does technically, but in his case it’s more about staying focused and trusting his arm.”

Jannik Sinner set a tantalising quarter-final showdown against Daniil Medvedev on Monday evening when he battled past home favourite Tommy Paul in the fourth round of the US Open.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings battled from two breaks down in the first set and had to work hard throughout, but his baseline power and jaw-dropping shotmaking proved enough to claw to a 7-6(3), 7-6(5), 6-1 victory. Sinner has reached at least the quarter-finals at all four majors this season, becoming just the eighth men’s singles player since 2000 to accomplish the feat.

"It's a huge honour to play on this court here. The evening session is always very, very nice. Thanks everyone for the support, it's amazing," Sinner said. "I thought that we both didn't play our best tennis. It was a little breezy, a little windy, so we tried to find our rhythm a little bit. I found it a little bit at the end of the match, but I can be very proud. Today was a tough opponent, so I'm very happy to be in the next round."

Players to reach men's singles QF at all four Slams in season since 2000

The second game of the third set was the match in a nutshell. Paul did everything he possibly could to hit the ball past the opponent, pushing the Italian well behind the baseline, so much so that the top seed was nearly off camera. But as the American surged into the net, there was nothing he could do about a screaming crosscourt forehand passing shot that was ultimately too good.

Frances Tiafoe has long been the face of tennis in the “DMV” (the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia), and other celebrities in the area have taken notice. Iconic artist Wale is a big supporter of the US Open quarter-finalist, who will play Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday for a place in the last four.

“It’s like a shot in the arm. The DMV is known for football, basketball. We’ve got a lot. But tennis, there are not a lot of black men’s tennis players that are having that level of success,” Wale told ATPTour.com. “For him to be where we’re from, it’s just the icing on the cake. He’s an easy guy to root for in a sport that I feel like he can even be one of the faces of.”

Wale even visited the Mubadala Citi DC Open last month to watch his friend compete in the ATP 500 event. He compared the atmosphere to that of a Washington Commanders home game.

“I would imagine [it was] like a Sugar Ray [Leonard] boxing match that was in Landover in the ‘80s or something,” Wale said. “You could feel that the energy was for him and he put on a great show.”

Beyond his success on the tennis court, Wale has been impressed with how the 26-year-old carries himself.

Alex de Minaur reached his third consecutive major quarter-final on Monday at the US Open, where he overcame fellow Australian Jordan Thompson 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 under the lights in New York.

The 10th seed raced out of the blocks to take command early and showed great foot speed throughout on Louis Armstrong, tracking down drop volleys and flat Thompson groundstrokes to reach the last eight after two hours and 57 minutes.

"I've got so much respect for Thommo. We've grown up together and he's been like a big brother to me,” De Minaur said. “I really appreciate everything he's done for me. He's a helluva competitor, my Davis Cup teammate and I can't wait to share the court many, many times with him.”

With his 40th tour-level win of the year, De Minaur passed Novak Djokovic in seventh place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The 25-year-old has enjoyed an impressive year, reaching the last eight at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, while winning titles in Acapulco and ‘s-Hertogenbosch. He is aiming to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

"It's just the mentality," De Minaur said of his consistent success this year. "Having a positive mindset no matter what , trying to win every point and as always compete my heart out."

Is ‘hard-court specialist’ Daniil Medvedev ready to go all the way once more at the US Open?

The fifth seed and 2021 titlist continued his impressive 2024 campaign at the New York major with a 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 fourth-round triumph against Nuno Borges on Monday afternoon. Medvedev was in control for almost all of the one-hour, 51-minute encounter, during which his only brief moment of peril came when he trailed by a break early in the third set.

Full on pedal to the metal from Daniil ?@DaniilMedwed reaches his 11th Grand Slam quarter-final after racing past Borges 6-0 6-1 6-3!@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/ZZYvUSUCXt

Since 2018, Medvedev has won more tour-level matches (268) on hard courts than anyone else on the ATP Tour: Andrey Rublev is second on that list with 210. The No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings certainly appeared at home inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, where he ground Borges down with his trademark retrieval skills and converted eight of 16 break points he earned.

“I try to work hard. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t,” Medvedev told his ATP Tour rival Nick Kyrgios in his on-court interview. “There are days when it is tougher to go out on court and practise, but I have the mentality that if the other guy practises more than me, I have less chances to win, and I want to win all the time. So I try to practise as much as I can.

Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow snapped one of the most impressive winning streaks in US Open history on Monday afternoon.

The home favourites defeated three-time defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 7-6(3), 6-3 to book their quarter-final spot at the hard-court major in New York. Third seeds Ram and Salisbury had won 20 straight matches at the US Open dating back to the start of their 2021 title run, but they could not deny Lammons and Withrow on Grandstand.

The 13th-seeded pair produced a dominant serving performance. It won 92 per cent (35/38) of points behind first deliveries in its 95-minute third-round win. Lammons and Withrow, who have already lifted ATP Tour trophies on American hard courts in Atlanta, Washington and Winston-Salem this year, are now 2-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Ram and Salisbury.

The duo’s run to its third Grand Slam quarter-final has also boosted its Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes. Lammons and Withrow are currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, but could rise as high as fourth by clinching their maiden major crown in New York.

Awaiting the American pair in their third Grand Slam quarter-final will be Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic. The 11th seeds downed Wimbledon champions Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten 6-2, 6-2 in their third-round match.

A lot of the attention on Jannik Sinner’s game goes to his booming groundstrokes and dominant baseline game. But the key to his ascent to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings this year has been his serve.

The Italian has dominated all major service categories according to Infosys ATP Stats, positioning himself to unleash the rest of his game on the ATP Tour.

“There are still signs of sometimes being inconsistent with that shot. It has been more consistent in the last three, four months, that's for sure,” Sinner told ATPTour.com in Cincinnati. “Then it's a weapon or a shot where I can put myself a little bit out of danger sometimes, but I still believe that there's a lot of work to do.”

Sinner entered the US Open leading the Tour in service games won (91.3%), second-serve points won (57.5%) and break points saved (72.9%). He is second in first-serve points won at 79.5 per cent, which only trails Grigor Dimitrov.

“We changed a couple of things with the toss of the ball, and also my mental side,” Sinner said. “It has been different, trying to play sometimes with a bit more rotation, instead of going to hit the ace or all that stuff.”

Jack Draper reached his first major quarter-final on Monday at the US Open, where he dispatched Czech Tomas Machac 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 in New York.

The British lefty was in total control from the early stages on Louis Armstrong Stadium, where he played with high intensity and struck 35 winners to become the first British man to advance to the last eight at the hard-court major since former champion Andy Murray in 2016.

"I thought that the past few times we have played it has been a really tough battle. Today I thought I played a decent level, he was maybe a little bit off his best but I had to stay strong in the points and it was amazing to play out here on Louis Armstrong," Draper said. "I lost last year here in the same round so it is nice to come back and do better this year."

Not messing around ⚡️?@jackdraper0 races past Machac 6-3 6-1 6-2 to advance into the QFs in New York!@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/vn89qRYcAd

The 22-year-old reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows last season and has impressed once again this year, not dropping a set through his first four matches. Draper will continue his run against World No. 10 Alex de Minaur or Jordan Thompson on Wednesday.