Ben Shelton advanced to his first Grand Slam final after defeating Frances Tiafoe in four sets at the US Open. The match took place Friday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Shelton winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5. The match was the first Grand Slam semifinal in the Open Era between two Black American men. Shelton also became the first Black American man to reach the US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
Shelton, a 23-year-old from Georgia, was less than a year old when Andy Roddick last won the US Open title in 2003, according to ESPN. He is now set to face Alexander Zverev in the final on Sunday, according to a report from ESPN.
Zverev had previously beaten Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) in the first semifinal. A victory by Shelton would make this just the second time in the last 20 years that multiple first-time major champions won titles in the same year. The last time was 2014 when Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic won their first major titles.
Tiafoe fell to 0-3 in US Open semifinals, having lost his past two matches against fellow Americans. The match began with Tiafoe playing cleaner tennis and taking the first set.
After falling behind early, Shelton improved his serve and finished with 20 aces in the match. The turning point came in the final game of the third set when Tiafoe struggled to hold serve. ESPN reported that the game lasted more than 15 minutes and 20 points.
Tiafoe had previously come back from two sets down and erased a 3-0 deficit in the fifth set to beat Alex Michelsen. Shelton’s performance improved after the first set, where he made 14 unforced errors, CBS Sports reported. He returned to the level that had earned him a major win over Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. That quarterfinal ended at 3:33 a.m. and became the latest finish in US Open history.
Shelton took the second and third sets 6-3, breaking Tiafoe four times while only getting broken once. Even in the sets Shelton was winning, Tiafoe remained competitive.
Tiafoe’s service issues eventually cost him the match in the final game of the fourth set. Shelton’s strong serve helped him win the match, with 20 aces and just three double faults. He got his first serve in 75% of the time, which is especially impressive given his aggressive style. CBS Sports reported that Tiafoe made only 57% of his first serves.
With this win, Shelton will move up to a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world. He will be the highest-ranked former college player in the ATP Rankings since James Blake was ranked No. 4.
The US Open has been a long time coming for American men in tennis, with no American man winning a major title in 23 years. Since 2010, only one other American man has reached a Grand Slam final, Taylor Fritz at the 2024 US Open. American men had reached six major finals since Roddick's 2003 title before Shelton advanced to Sunday's final.
Several young American players have made significant progress in recent years, including Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul. Learner Tien, Alex Michelsen, and Brandon Nakashima have also shown strong performances in recent tournaments.
Former player Mary Joe Fernandez said this US Open is the most open for American men in recent memory. Shelton’s path to the final was not easy, as he had just beaten Carlos Alcaraz in a late-night match.
His journey began with playing college tennis at Florida, where his father Bryan was the head coach. Bryan had initially doubted whether Shelton would ever play tennis professionally during his freshman season at Florida. Shelton only played a few junior events before committing to college tennis. ESPN reported that Bryan had originally considered redshirting his son before Shelton's rapid improvement earned him a place in the lineup.
He eventually cracked the starting lineup as a freshman and later won the NCAA singles title. Shelton turned professional shortly after his college career ended, but the experience proved invaluable.
He said he has grown more mature and focused since beginning his professional career. Shelton expressed that he is fully committed to his goals and understands the importance of this moment.
Playing in front of a large crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium was challenging, but he stayed focused. Shelton is now aiming to end the long drought for American men in Grand Slam tennis.
His next challenge will be facing Zverev, who has made three straight Grand Slam finals and won at the French Open this year. Zverev has won all five previous matches against Shelton, although Sunday's final will be their first meeting at a Grand Slam.