Carlos Alcaraz defeats Frances Tiafoe at the US Open semifinals in a battle of tennis’ rising stars. (0:41)
NEW YORK — After three grueling hours of tennis, Roger Federer and Diego Schwartzman were tied in the semifinals at the U.S. Open. However, Federer made sure that he emerged victorious, winning in a dramatic five-set upset over the Argentine at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The upset was Federer’s second straight Grand Slam semifinal and first since Wimbledon last summer. It was also Federer’s first at the major since that win over Novak Djokovic.
As a young kid growing up in Argentina, Federer would often come to New York to play in USTA events and at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the home of the U.S. Open. This was his 4,000th victory there.
“I was really excited today because I had many, many expectations coming in,” Federer said while watching his own epilogue film at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where he watched his mother and sisters watch his sister, Maria, play in the tennis final. “The last two years have gone by really fast. I tried to enjoy this moment and to enjoy my victory. Hopefully, it was one of those nights that I had fun watching my Mom and my sisters. That was very important for me.”
This game-and-a-day win over Schwartzman, who advanced to the final after a tough win over American John Isner, was Federer’s third in a row and fifth in six months, tying his record for the most consecutive Grand Slam semifinal appearances at five sets in a row.
Federer, the defending champion, beat Schwartzman in five sets for his sixth Grand Slam semifinal.
“I’m thrilled for him,” Federer’s coach, Ivan Ljubicic, said after the match. “He’s a great player. He’s a winner, and we had a tough match, but it was a good match. He’s played quite a few finals.”
The top seeds had met three times before