Frances Tiafoe warms up in Bradley Beal jersey ahead of US Open semifinals

Maryland's Frances Tiafoe becomes first American in 16 years to advance to US Open semifinal

Maryland native Frances Tiafoe became the first American man to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since 2006 by beating Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.

BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - After Bradley Beal showed up to witness Frances Tiafoe's historic victory over Rafael Nadal in the U.S. Open, Tiafoe returned the love by wearing Beal's jersey ahead of his semi-finals match Friday.

Tiafoe ended Nadal's 22-match winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments Tuesday by beating the 22-time major champion 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the U.S. Open's fourth round. And Beal was there to witness it all, embracing his friend with a hug after the match.

"It was one of the most unbelievable things to be a part of," Beal told The Washington Post.

"It really felt like an NBA Finals game. Everybody says he has that kind of appeal when he plays, and that’s what I love about him. He plays with passion. He plays with joy, you know?" he said. "You can see that. He doesn’t shy away from who he is. He has the little antics he does during his matches. It just brings the fun out and keeps everybody engaged."

Beal said that he met Tiafoe 10 years ago.

"The craziest stat is him being the first Black man to reach the semifinals since Arthur Ashe [in 1972]," Beal said. "Like, that is crazy to think about. We just support him from being from D.C., just being who he is. But to look outside the box and think about that — he’s creating history before our eyes."

The 24-year-old Hyattsville native, who is seeded 22nd at Flushing Meadows is currently taking on Carlos Alcaraz.