Taylor Fritz held on to beat Frances Tiafoe 4-6 7-5 4-6 6-4 6-1 in a blockbuster all-American semi-final at the US Open on Friday and will take on the role of the underdog when he meets Italian top seed Jannik Sinner in the finale.
It's the first time in 15 years that an American man has reached a major final and both Fritz and Tiafoe wanted to be the one to break the barren streak. But Fritz had the legs to go the distance with 16 aces while Tiafoe lost steam in the fourth set.
It capped an action-packed programme at Arthur Ashe Stadium, as Sinner took down ailing Briton Jack Draper 7-5 7-6(3) 6-2, overcoming muggy conditions in a chaotic match.
Fritz and Sinner, who are deadlocked 1-1 in career head-to-head, will meet on Sunday.
"It's a dream come true, I'm in the final so I'm going to come out and give everything I possibly have and I know that for a fact," an emotional Fritz said after the match.
"I'm going to give it everything I can possibly give."
Fritz got a 0-3 head start in the first set but Tiafoe showed he would not be pushed around as he broke back from the baseline in the fifth game and outlasted Fritz in a 16-shot rally to take the lead in the seventh game.
The longer rallies gave way to quick points in the second set, where Fritz held to love in five straight service games and put up just three unforced errors before breaking Tiafoe with a terrific drop shot on set point.
Tiafoe got his revenge as he sent a forehand winner down the line to go up a break in the opening game of the third set and he raised his fist in satisfaction after taking the frame.
Tiafoe began to show signs of fatigue in the fourth set after an epic, 31-shot rally in the seventh game and he helped Fritz to the break in the 10th with a pair of double faults and a couple of unforced errors.
An exhausted Tiafoe tossed his racket in frustration after a double fault on breakpoint saw him trailing 0-4 in the final set.
He got on the board when he broke Fritz in the fifth game but that sliver of momentum evaporated quickly and Fritz smiled after closing it out with an ace.
"He was overwhelming from the baseline," said Fritz. "He was taking the ball so early, changing lines so well. It was really overwhelming."
Sinner had an easier day as he closed it out against Draper in straight sets but left Flushing Meadows with injury concerns after he fell in the second set and appeared to hurt his wrist.
Little went right for Draper, who vomited three times in the second set as he struggled with heat and humidity that also left his shirt soaked in sweat.
Ten double faults also failed to help the 22-year-old's bid to reach a Grand Slam final for the first time.
"It was a very physical match as we saw. I just tried to stay there mentally," said Sinner, who has survived the intense pressure of being the overwhelming favourite to win his first U.S. Open title following the early exits of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner and Draper traded early breaks in the first set but the momentum swung in the Italian's direction when the Briton dropped serve in the 11th game with a double fault.
Draper held his serve through a marathon, four-deuce opening game in the second set but could not convert a breakpoint chance in the second game. From then on, the contest turned into a nightmare for the 25th seed.
The Briton dropped his racket and ran to his bench to change his sweat-drenched shoes after the sixth game and he threw up twice in the eighth game, waving off the umpire's attempts to pause the match and bring out a crew to clean the mess.
Sinner looked to be in trouble after he slipped and fell in the ninth game, wincing in pain after bracing himself with his left hand in the fall.
One physio came to massage the Italian’s wrist while another came to help the ailing Draper during the changeover.
Draper requested another set of fresh shoes from his locker and battled on, vomiting for a third time in the 12th game before Sinner sprinted through the tiebreak.
Sinner got the critical break in the final set with a terrific backhand winner down the line in the sixth game and Draper looked miserable as he sipped a soda on his bench after the seventh game.
Sinner closed it out with a backhand winner on match point, embracing his opponent at the net.
Earlier in the day, Latvian Jelena Ostapenko and Ukraine's Lyudmyla Kichenok won the women's doubles crown, beating Chinese-French pair Zhang Shuai and Kristina Mladenovic 6-4 6-3 after coming up short in the Australian Open final.
