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sports Thursday 8 sepTember 2022
Tiafoe beats Rublev; 1st U.S. man in U.S. Open SF in 16 years

By HOWARD FENDRICH Tiafoe who took the set,
AP Tennis Writer sealing it with a 130 mph
NEW YORK (AP) — Frances ace, then strutting to the
Tiafoe became the first changeover, nodding and
American man to reach motioning with his racket
the U.S. Open semifinals for more noise. The audi-
since 2006 by beating An- ence obliged, included
drey Rublev 7-6 (3), 7-6 (0), Tiafoe’s pal, Washington
6-4 behind the backing of Wizards All-Star guard Brad-
a boisterous partisan crowd ley Beal, from his front-row
in Arthur Ashe Stadium on seat.
Wednesday. A similar scene played out
The 24-year-old Tiafoe, who in the second tiebreaker
grew up in Maryland, put after a drop volley by Tia-
on a performance just as foe forced a mistake by
strong, if not stronger, than Rublev to make it 6-0.
the one he used to elimi- When Tiafoe produced a
nate 22-time Grand Slam backhand return winner
champion Rafael Nadal in to seal a two-set lead, he
the fourth round. sprinted to the sideline, sat
“Man, man, this is wild. This down near his messy col-
is crazy. Had the biggest lection of towels, shirts and
win of my life 24 hours ago. Frances Tiafoe, of the United States, reacts after defeating Andrey Rublev, of Russia, during the socks spread out around
... That’s huge growth. it’s quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, in New York. the ground — call it “col-
Associated Press
tough to turn the page,” lege dorm room chic” —
said Tiafoe, who is seeded Sinner. atek or No. 8 Jessica Pegu- when Tiafoe went ahead and shook his fist amid the
22nd at Flushing Meadows. Tiafoe played aggres- la, who were scheduled to 4-3 in the third set, then delirium of a standing ova-
Then, looking ahead, and sive, offensive tennis and play each other Wednes- stood mostly motionless on tion.
making sure everyone used 18 aces along with day night. court, enjoying the reac- Tiafoe is definitely a show-
knows this big milestone is strong volleying to oust No. Pegula is the last player tion from the stadium — man. He demonstrated
not enough to satisfy him, 9 Rublev, a Russian who from the United States in and the most vital moments that against Nadal, then
Tiafoe said: “Let’s enjoy dropped to 0-6 in major the women’s bracket. were the two tiebreakers. again against Rublev, who
this one. We’ve got two quarterfinals. Tiafoe won 31 Rain drops began fall- Tiafoe is now 6-0 in tie- never tried to hide his an-
more, guys. We’ve got two of 41 points when he went ing just before the start of breakers at this U.S. Open. ger at the way things were
more.” to the net; Rublev only ven- Tiafoe vs. Rublev, so they He excelled at that stage going.
Andy Roddick was the last tured forward 11 times. stood around waiting for against Rublev, playing Rublev would hit himself in
U.S. man to get to the semi- In the women’s quarter- the retractable roof to be to the spectators and en- the leg with his racket or
finals in New York, when he finals Wednesday, No. 6 shut. That resulted in both joying the crescendos of punched his strings. Over
lost to Roger Fededer in the Aryna Sabalenka earned a cool, wind-free environ- cheers that mirrored the and over, he gesticulated
title match 16 years ago. a second consecutive trip ment and a louder setting, way he lifted his perfor- and yelled toward his guest
Roddick also was the last to the final four at Flushing with applause and yells mance. box, where only four of the
man from the country to Meadows with a 6-1, 7-6 (4) from fans reverberating in Rublev actually had the 15 seats were occupied,
win any Grand Slam singles victory over Karolina Plis- what became an indoor first chance to nose ahead, quite a contrast to Tiafoe’s
championship, taking the kova. arena — circumstances with a set point at 6-5 in packed section.
2003 U.S. Open. “I’m ready for it,” Sabalen- that favored Tiafoe. the first, but Tiafoe erased “I feel so at home on courts
Tiafoe’s first career Grand ka said. “I’m ready for an- The match featured domi- it with a risky forehand to a like this,” Tiafoe told the
Slam semifinal will come other fight.” nant serving by both — the corner that drew a netted crowd. “You guys get be-
Friday against No. 3 Carlos Sabalenka’s next oppo- only break of serve came reply. hind me, I want to play my
Alcaraz or No. 11 Jannik nent will be No. 1 Iga Swi- more than two hours in, Several minutes later, it was best.”q

Evenepoel safely in Vuelta lead after

Roglic withdraws

ARACENA, Spain (AP) — Giro d’Italia. ries sustained Tuesday in a
Remco Evenepoel safely “I had been chasing it for crash 75 meters (82 yards)
kept his Spanish Vuelta lead many years,” Urán said. from the finish line while
on Wednesday after three- “When you already have going for the victory in the
time defending champion victories in the Giro and 16th stage.
Primoz Roglic withdrew in the Tour, and now in La The Slovenian from team
ahead of the 17th stage Vuelta, as a rider for three- Jumbo-Visma was seeking
because of injuries. week events, it gives me a an unprecedented fourth
Rigoberto Urán, the lot of happiness. Today is a straight Vuelta title. Belgian Remco Evenepoel of Quick-Step Alpha Viny celebrates
35-year-old Colombian very special day for me.” Evenepoel finished in the on the podium in the red jersey for leader in the overall ranking
from team EF Education- He crossed the line two group of riders who crossed after the 16th stage during the Vuelta cycling race between San
EasyPost, prevailed on the seconds ahead of Quentin the line five minutes be- Lucar de Barrameda and Tomares, in Tomares, southern Spain,
final climb to win the stage Pacher and Jesús Herrada. hind Urán. The Belgian cy- Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022.
and complete his treble of Marc Soler was 15 seconds clist from team Quick-Step Associated Press
Grand Tour victories after back in fourth place. Alpha Vinyl maintained a Movistar. Juan Ayuso was Roglic was 1 minute, 26
previous stage triumphs Roglic didn’t start after not lead of more than two min- nearly five minutes back in seconds behind Evenepoel
in the Tour de France and recovering from his inju- utes over Enric Mas of team third place. before withdrawing. q