Top Things To Know for Saturday, Feb. 17
Semifinals Day
American Tennis On A Roll
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.
Guaranteed All-American Final
It will be the first all-American final at the Delray Beach Open since 2016 and the first in an ATP final anywhere since Taylor Fritz defeated Frances Tiafoe at 2022 Tokyo.
World-Class Players
Three of the semifinalists are ranked in the world's Top 15 - Taylor Fritz (No. 9), Tommy Paul (14), and Frances Tiafoe (No. 15). Marcos Giron will re-enter the world's Top 50 next week at a career-high of at least No. 44.
Practice Partners
All four semifinalists know each other's games well as they often practice together either in California, Florida or on tour. Giron is the elder statesman at age 30, while Fritz, Tiafoe and Paul are all 26 and have known each other since their days in the juniors. The three also have residences in South Florida.
(1) Taylor Fritz (USA) vs. Marcos Giron (USA) - Fritz, based in Miami, is the defending champion, ranked No. 9 in the world, and 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. Giron reached the final in Dallas last week. This week, he upset the fourth seed in the second round. In next week's rankings, he will re-enter the Top 50 at a career-high of at least No. 44. The 2014 NCAA singles champion from UCLA, he underwent double-hip surgery in late 2015 and early 2016. Fritz leads their head-to-head 3-1, with their last three matches going three sets.
(2) Frances Tiafoe (USA) vs. (3) Tommy Paul (USA) - Tiafoe, currently ranked No. 15, won the 2018 tournament on his debut at the event. Last year, he won two tournaments and entered the Top 10 for the first time. This is his first time back in the event since 2021 but he is very familiar with the courts, as he lives in Boca and often trains at the Delray Beach Tennis Center where his twin brother, Franklin, was a teaching pro until recently. Paul, who lives in West Boca full time, is world-ranked No. 14, won the title last week in Dallas and reached the 2023 Australian Open semifinals. Paul leads their head-to-head 2-1, but Tiafoe's lone win came in Delray Beach in 2020.
