U.S men ready to end years of frustration with All-American semi-final battle

NEW YORK : Whether Taylor Fritz or Frances Tiafoe win Friday's semi-final clash at the U.S. Open, the match will give the host nation plenty to shout about as one of them will get a shot at finally ending the United States' 21-year men's Grand Slam drought.

The American women have carried the torch for their sport for years, as younger stars such as Coco Gauff emerged just as Serena Williams was wrapping up her career with 23 major wins.

But no American man has won a slam since Andy Roddick triumphed at Flushing Meadows 21 years ago. It is a barren run that grows ever more frustrating for U.S. fans who had become accustomed to decades of American success, with the likes of Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi collecting 41 slams between them from the 1970s to the early 2000s.

But with Tiafoe and Fritz playing each other on Friday, a U.S. man is guaranteed to contest a major final for the first time since Roddick lost to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon showpiece in 2009.

"It's a validation of the strategy over the last 15 years," said Martin Blackman, who took the reins as general manager of USTA Player Development in 2015.

The USTA announced a massive overhaul of its player development programme in 2008, beginning with juniors, and the strong performances show the investment was well worth it, said Blackman.

"There's so much work that's gone into it from the ground up," said Blackman. "Trying to change the culture, trying to create more developmental opportunities for all these juniors."

Coming up as juniors, USTA camps were a common ground for Tiafoe and Fritz, good friends on the tour who are chasing the pinnacle of their sport.

Fritz is the son of former top-10 player Kathy May, who reached