With the number one player in the world preparing to take on Jack Draper, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will battle to see which American moves on to the Final.

The 2024 US Open tournament has seen some shocking upsets on the men’s side up to this point, with the number two and three players in the world losing prior to the quarterfinal round and leaving number one ranked Jannik Sinner as the only top 10 player remaining heading into the semifinals. Sinner will take on 25th-ranked Jack Draper from Great Britain, who upset the #10-ranked Alex de Minaur from Australia to reach the penultimate stage. 

In the other matchup, two Americans will play to decide who moves on to the Finals to face either Sinner or Draper, with an American not having won the men’s tournament since Andy Roddick in 2003. Taylor Fritz, #12 in the world, will look across to #20-ranked Frances Tiafoe on September 6, with the chance to reclaim glory for the US set in both players’ minds. 

Sinner is currently a -650 favorite on DraftKings sportsbook to defeat Draper, who stands as a heavy underdog at +475 to pull off the shocking upset. The Italian star handled the fifth-ranked Daniil Medvedev with relative ease in the quarterfinal round, winning in four sets and not needing more than that amount to defeat every opponent through the tournament so far. Outside of a four-set opening match to begin play, Sinner has defeated each player that has stood across from him in straight sets. 

To be fair to Draper, though, he could possibly be playing the best tennis of his career as he is yet to even enter into a fourth set with any opponent he’s faced to this point. In fact, Draper didn’t even give up more than four points in any set until playing de Minaur in the quarterfinals.

Despite his incredible play, sportsbooks such as DraftKings will continue to heavily favor the man who tops every tennis ranking in the world currently. The 2024 US Open seems to be a tournament of upsets however, especially figuring the lack of top-ranked players heading into play on September 6.

If anyone could stand a decent chance of defeating Sinner, it could be Draper and the recent form he has displayed once the tournament began on August 19. Perhaps a smart play for bettors would be taking Sinner to win in either four or five sets, listed at +230 and +475 respectively on DraftKings, which allows the user to get plus odds on Sinner while also accounting for a surprise or two from Draper as well. Sinner to win in straight sets represents odds of +110, favorable but discounting the form Draper has shown in the US Open. 

Fritz stands as the favorite over Tiafoe with odds of -300 to claim victory and go on to the Final round, with Tiafoe having odds of +225 to win himself. Fritz managed to upset number four-ranked Alexander Zverev in their quarterfinal matchup, while Tiafoe pulled off a shocker of his own by finding victory over number nine-ranked Grigor Dimitrov. Tiafoe is a bit of a fan favorite with his eccentric style and fun clothing that typically shouts out a fellow athlete or plays up the respective home crowd. 

As the underdog in this match, however, Tiafoe will not only be playing for the chance to take on Sinner or Draper, but to represent a rebirth of US tennis stars as well. Both Tiafoe and Fritz have the chance to bring a US Open trophy to the US for the first time since Andy Roddick’s victory in 2003 over 20 years prior. Roddick was really the last great American-born tennis player, but athletes such as Tiafoe and Fritz have the opportunity to put their country back on the professional tennis map.

With the added attention of having two Americans competing for the 2024 US Open title, much anticipation is beginning to build whether it be from devoted tennis fans or newcomers who are slowly discovering the sport. As the tournament reaches its final stages, a final upset could shock the tennis world if Sinner ends up falling to Draper in the semifinals. A finals match between Draper and either American would shock fans, but may go a long way in helping to build the sport as a global attraction. 

Not to say Sinner isn’t loved himself by any means, but watching two players who were never expected to reach the stage they are playing in represents one of the most exciting outcomes for any sport. Rooting for the underdog is fun, and watching as Draper, Fritz and Tiafoe compete for the US Open crown has helped the sport grow in the US and around the world as well.