This was tennis in Technicolor, jumping off your screen, grabbing your throat and clinging to your heart.

Even under the stars on Friday, this feel-good clash on Ashe Island created a wall of emotion that provided the perfect soundtrack to this unforgettable, Star-Spangled-themed US Open semifinal.

Two 26-year-old Americans, friends for more than twelve years since their youth, found themselves in the melting pot. Or perhaps it is better to describe them as in the ring, a squared circle measuring 78 x 27.

Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz were gladiators, they were entertainers, they were elite tennis players putting on a show in Queens while carrying the weight of history, each competitor striving to reach the first Grand Slam final of their career.

It was not an all-or-nothing match, but the winner now had the chance to win it all, moving into Sunday’s final against the No. 1 seed and top-ranked player in the world, Jannik Sinner, following his 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 semifinal victory over Jack Draper.

And Fritz will face the Italian after winning 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, returning from an epic post-match chase lasting nearly two hours to become the first American to, well, you’ve probably memorized that, just as “2009” is etched into the memory of the gray masses of Yankees fans.

So here is the abridged version after more than two decades:

That would be Fritz, who is ranked 12th in the world and is the first American-born player to reach a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick’s Wimbledon loss to Roger Federer in 2009, which included a decisive tiebreak in the fifth set at 16:14.

This would make Fritz the first American to make it to the Open final since Andy Roddick was beaten by Federer in 2006.

That would give Fritz a chance to become the first American to win a Grand Slam since Roddick triumphed here in Queens in 2003.

That’s a lot of firsts.

The semifinal between the Red, White and Blue was once a perennial Open fixture. This was the 17th such incestuous affair, but the first since Andre Agassi defeated Robby Ginepri in five sets in 2005.

Has anyone heard the word “pickleball” in the last two weeks?

I thought so.

That night and throughout the tournament, the Big Three seemed to be history in an alternate sense, just like the guys and girls whose plaques are displayed on the Champions Walk. That night and throughout the tournament, the Open did not miss them. While it might take two decades, everyone’s time comes.

“I think this has definitely opened the floodgates. I think the guys are going to start believing they can go far in Grand Slam tournaments,” said an emotionally hurt Tiafoe. “Fritz, now he’s made it to the final. None of us younger guys have done that.”

“Let’s see what happens on Sunday, but I think a lot of guys will believe they can do it, especially in that game later in the season, with stuff like that with American crowds and so on.

“I think it’s great. I think it’s great and shows that it’s definitely possible,” said Tiafoe, who admitted his nerves got the better of him. “Like I said, the game is back on.”

“Even with Alcaraz and Sinner and those other guys, it’s not what it used to be.”

Tiafoe set the pace in the first three sets, with each player dominating their serves at times. Fritz won 23 consecutive points on his serve to close the second set after Tiafoe had won 18 consecutive points on his serve earlier in the set.

The dominance on serve was punctuated by short rallies. But there were also a number of longer points that ended in a point. Tiafoe hit the ball from the baseline almost as well as his familiar ball-striking opponent and was able to move Fritz.

But a 31-stroke rally, won by Fritz with a 3-3 serve at 30-15, seemed to revive the Californian while unnerving Tiafoe. The match faltered, with Fritz controlling point after point. Tiafoe was never the same. The support of the majority of the house did nothing to cheer him up.

Fritz was on the rise.

Two years ago, Fritz said he thought he had a pretty good chance of winning the crown, but then he lost in the first round to an American named Brandon Holt, who reached his highest ranking of 180th.

Fritz has grown. He has toughened his mental game. The serve has always been there. The big shots have always been there. The psyche may not have been there. On this evening it was definitely there.

Both Tiafoe and Fritz were under a lot of pressure. There was talk of how well the young Americans worked together in their “one for all, all for one” mentality, so when an American finally ends this drought, it will feel like they all made it.

The truth is: If any American can end this dry spell here and on Sunday by toppling the best player in the world, it will be Taylor Fritz.