Frances Tiafoe became the first American man to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since 2006 by beating Russian Andrey Rublev 7-6 (3), 7-6 (0), 6-4 behind the backing of a boisterous partisan crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old Tiafoe, who grew up in Maryland, put on a performance just as strong, if not stronger, than the one he used to eliminate 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal of Spain in the fourth round.

"Man, man, this is wild. This is crazy. Had the biggest win of my life 24 hours ago. That's huge growth. It's tough to turn the page," said Tiafoe, who is seeded 22nd at Flushing Meadows.

Then, looking ahead, and making sure everyone knows this big milestone is not enough to satisfy him, Tiafoe said: "Let's enjoy this one. We've got two more, guys. We've got two more."

"I feel so at home on courts like this," Tiafoe told the crowd. "You guys get behind me, I want to play my best."

Andy Roddick was the last U.S. man to get to the semifinals in New York, when he lost to Roger Federer in the title match 16 years ago. Roddick also was the last man from the country to win any Grand Slam singles championship, taking the 2003 U.S. Open.

Tiafoe's first career Grand Slam semifinal will come on Friday against No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain or No. 11 Jannik Sinner of Italy.

In the women's quarterfinals on Wednesday, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus earned a second consecutive trip to the final four at Flushing Meadows with a 6-1, 7-6 (4) victory over Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic.

"I'm ready for it," Sabalenka said. "I'm ready for another fight."

Sabalenka's next opponent will be world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, who defeated American Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6, (6-4) to advance to the semifinals on Wednesday.

China's Zhang Shuai and Mate Pavic of Croatia were stunned by Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France in the mixed doubles semifinals at the U.S. Open on Wednesday.

Zhang and Pavic lost the first set 6-4, but regrouped to seal the second 7-5. Having more unforced errors, the pair were topped in the deciding third set, 10-6.

While all Chinese players have now bowed out of this year's U.S. Open, many of them achieved the best results of their careers. 33-year-old Zhang reached the last 16 in the women's singles for the first time after defeating Canada's Rebecca Marino in straight sets.

Yuan Yue, Zheng Qinwen and Wang Xiyu all advanced to the women's singles last 32, while Wu Yibing also reached the third round in the men's singles, setting another milestone for Chinese players.

Australian Nick Kyrgios was fined $14,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct after his racket-smashing exit from the U.S. Open.

Kyrgios slammed multiple rackets to the court in frustration following his 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-4 loss to Karen Khachanov of Russia in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night.

The Wimbledon runner-up racked up $32,500 in fines while in Flushing Meadows, getting penalized five times.

(With input from agencies)