NEW YORK — For the first time since 2006, an American will appear in the men’s singles final at the US Open.

Which American that is remains to be seen.

Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, the polar-opposite U.S. stars whose simultaneous Open runs have captivated Queens, are set to battle Friday night in a much-anticipated semifinal match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It’s the first time since 2005 that two American men will face each other in an Open semifinal, helping to restore a level of local intrigue that’s long been missing from the country’s top tennis tournament.

“Let the best man win,” Tiafoe said Tuesday after beating Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinal. “It’s going to be epic. Popcorn. Do what you got to do. It’s going to be a fun one.”

Tiafoe and Fritz, both 26, are fighting for a spot in the Open final, where whomever advances will play the winner of Friday’s other semifinal match between Italy’s Jannik Sinner and the U.K.’s Jack Draper.

Fritz and Tiafoe are eminently familiar with each other, dating back more than a decade to when they competed in 14-and-under tournaments. Both turned pro in 2016 and have faced each other seven times since, with Fritz going 6-1 in those meetings and winning the last six.

Fritz’s head-to-head wins include beating his countryman in the second round of the 2022 Australian Open, as well as in the Acapulco quarterfinal last year.

They’ve never met at the US Open. Until now.

“It’s different on Ashe, man,” Tiafoe said. “It’s different. Obviously, you have to learn from those [past meetings]. A couple of those I thought I actually should have won. He’s tough, man. He’s a tough player. He plays great from both sides, has a great serve. He’s moving much better now. It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be a big moment for both of us.”

Friday’s winner will become the first American man to advance to the Open final since Andy Roddick in 2006, as well as the first American man to reach a Grand Slam final since Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009.

Roddick remains the last American man to win the Open, having done so in 2003.

The last all-American semifinal match at the Open saw Andre Agassi advance past Robby Ginepri in five sets, then lose in the final to Roger Federer. That was the second of five consecutive titles for Federer at the Open, a tournament that Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal also won four times apiece over the last 15 years.

“Taylor and I had a conversation about being 1, 2 Americans for a very long time,” Tiafoe said. “I remember we were sitting on a plane some years ago, and he’s a pretty to-himself kind of dude, and he’s, like, bro, I think me and you are going to be 1, 2 Americans and leading the way.

“Coming from him, I was, like, dang, dude, 6 a.m., I’m pretty tired, but let’s do it. Why not? He’s had that mindset and he’s pushed me a lot.”

Fritz (No. 12) and Tiafoe (No. 20) are two of five Americans in the ATP’s top-20 rankings.

Tiafoe already won a high-profile all-U.S. match at this Open, defeating 13th-seeded Ben Shelton in a five-set, four-hour marathon in the third round last Friday. He needed only four sets to eliminate the ninth-seeded Dimitrov.

Fritz, meanwhile, topped the world’s No. 4 player, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, in the quarterfinal to set up Friday’s match with Tiafoe.

“That’s going to be a lot of fun,” Fritz said of facing Tiafoe. “That’s going to be just electric.”

It’s Fritz’s first time advancing to a Grand Slam semifinal after coming up short in his first four trips to a major quarterfinal. Two of those losses were to Djokovic, including at last year’s Open, and another was to Nadal.

“It’s cool I’m in the semis, but I very much have the mindset [that] the job’s not done,” Fritz said Tuesday after defeating Zverev in four sets.

“A question I got asked pretty much every time I lost in the quarterfinals was, ‘What’s it going to take to go further?’ The answer I gave was always just keep putting myself in these situations, and I’ll become more comfortable in these situations and get better. That’s definitely what happened now.”

This is Tiafoe’s second trip to the Open semifinal, having lost in five sets to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in 2022. Tiafoe, too, is seeking his first Grand Slam title.

The Maryland-born Tiafoe remains a fan favorite at Flushing Meadows, where Mikal Bridges, Kevin Hart and Tony Goldwyn are among the stars who have attended his matches.

Fritz, who hails from Southern California, has drawn large crowds and loud cheers throughout the two-week tournament as well.

“He’s a video-game, never-leave-the-room goofball,” Tiafoe said of Fritz. “I’m loud and obnoxious at times. But he’s also very funny. He’s got that dry humor, smart ass, but at the same time, that’s why we like each other, because we’re so different. That’s why we get along so well.

“And then as competitors, we are very [alike],” Tiafoe said. “[We] hate to lose.”

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