Delray Beach Open showcases strength of American tennis
Feb 17, 2024
Today's semifinal matchups at the Delray Beach Open will mark a milestone. All four semifinalists are Americans for the first time in the 32-year history of the tournament, and only the fourth time this century at any ATP Tour event.
Three of the Americans are ranked inside the world's Top 15 — Taylor Fritz (No. 9), Tommy Paul (14), and Frances Tiafoe (No. 15). Meanwhile, Marcos Giron will re-enter the world's Top 50 next week at a career-high ranking of at least No. 44.
Above: Taylor Fritz. Photo: Andrew Patron / Delray Beach Open.
Giron is the oldest of the American semifinalists at 30 years old, while Fritz, Tiafoe and Paul are all 26 and have known each other since their days in the juniors. All four players know each other's games well as they often practice together.
In fact, Tiafoe said of his next opponent, Tommy Paul, "He’s a really good guy, genuine dude. It’s unbelievable to see what he’s been doing lately. He’s super fast, he’s gonna make me play a lot of balls. He’s serving much better. And we know each other’s games so well, so that’s always tough."
Above: Frances Tiafoe. Photo: Andrew Patron / Delray Beach Open.
Tiafoe won the 2018 tournament on his debut at the event. This is his first time back in the event since 2021 but he's very familiar with the courts, as he lives in Boca Raton and often trains at the Delray Beach Tennis Center where his twin brother, Franklin, was a teaching pro until recently.
Tommy Paul also lives in Boca Raton and just won the title last week in Dallas. Paul leads their head-to-head 2-1, while Tiafoe's lone win came in Delray Beach in 2020. Tommy could have the edge as he's openly expressed his love (and experience with) tennis in Florida. In addition, his elite fitness level could provide an advantage later in the match.
Above: Tommy Paul. Photo: Andrew Patron / Delray Beach Open.
Tonight's matchup may be decided by Taylor Fritz's menacing serve. After his quarterfinal match yesterday, Fritz explained, “It’s always a great feeling to be so into the serve rhythm. Seventy-five percent is really high for me, but even then I felt like the quality of the serves I was hitting was really good.”
Fritz, based in Miami, is the Delray Beach Open's defending champion, and he's reached the quarterfinals at the last two Grand Slams. When he won this title last year ranked No. 7, he became the tournament's first Top 10 champion.
Above: Marcos Giron. Photo: Andrew Patron / Delray Beach Open.
His opponent, Marcos Giron, just reached the final in Dallas last week. He was a standout college player at UCLA where he was the 2014 NCAA singles champion. However, his pro career was hindered when he underwent double-hip surgery after graduating. Fritz currently leads their head-to-head 3-1.
Who will turn out to be the king of American tennis in 2024? This weekend at the Delray Beach Open could provide the answer.
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Written by Florida Tennis' Executive Editor and Publisher Matt Pressman. Top photo: Andrew Patron / Delray Beach Open.