Shelton defeats Tiafoe to reach US Open final against Zverev on September 15
Ben Shelton defeated Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in the US Open men's singles semifinal on Friday night, September 12, to reach the final on Sunday, September 15. If Shelton wins, he will become the first American man to capture a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick in 2003 and the first Black American man to win the US Open singles title since Arthur Ashe in 1968.
Ben Shelton advanced to the US Open men's singles final by defeating Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in the semifinals on Friday night, September 12. Shelton will face top seed Alexander Zverev, the 2026 French Open champion, in the championship match on Sunday, September 15. A Shelton victory would end a 23-year American men's Grand Slam drought, the last title won by Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open. Shelton, 23, came back after losing the opening set. The match played before a capacity crowd of nearly 24,000 fans on Arthur Ashe Stadium, including Serena Williams, Jalen Brunson, and Ben Stiller. In the quarterfinals, Shelton defeated two-time US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in what ESPN described as a late-night thriller. Against Alcaraz, Shelton returned well and was the far more stable player from the baseline, per the Guardian. In his victory over Tiafoe, Shelton displayed one of the best backhand days of his career. Tiafoe is 28 years old and has now played in three US Open semifinals. He reached the biggest final of his career just last month in Cincinnati. Shelton will become the first Black American man to play in the US Open final since Arthur Ashe himself in 1972. If he wins, he will become the first Black American man to win the US Open singles title since Arthur Ashe in 1968 and . Shelton holds a 0-5 record against Zverev, with 10 consecutive sets lost to the German since winning one set at Cincinnati in 2024. The two have never faced each other in a Grand Slam tournament. Zverev's two-handed backhand suits him well against left-handers like Shelton, allowing him to counter the effects of left-handed serves struck wide and crosscourt forehands, per the Guardian. Zverev said he would try to not make the American dream come true on Sunday. However, Shelton told reporters that problem-solving has been the name of his tournament run. He was 0-1 against Stefanos Tsitsipas, 0-3 against Alcaraz, and lost to Tiafoe the last time they played on this court. Shelton said, "It's been a lot of uphill battle, so I think I'm fully ready for the challenge to problem-solve." He added: "At the end of the day, this is a tournament where I'm doing things that I haven't done before, breaking barriers I haven't broken through before. It's all uncharted territory." Shelton holds a 7-2 record in finals, per the Guardian. Shelton's father, Bryan, a former professional who won two ATP titles, said after the semifinal: "It's kind of surreal. I didn't think he was going to even get into this sport, and then to be in the sport and to be where he's at right now, I mean, it's just hard to believe." Bryan noted his son competes well with a title on the line: "He's got an amazing record on Sundays. He feels like he's going to play his best tennis at the end of the week or end of the two weeks." When asked on court about the historical significance of being the first Black American man in a US Open final since Arthur Ashe, Shelton credited his grandmother for the sacrifices that allowed Bryan to play. His grandmother passed away in March. Shelton said: "This one is for her." Shelton will also look to become the first former college player to win a major title since John McEnroe in 1984. Shelton played at the University of Florida, where his father was the head coach. He was not sure he would play his freshman season and expected to redshirt, but being around other talented players pushed him to elevate his game. He cracked the lineup as the No. 5 player during his first season and helped lead the Gators to their first NCAA team championship in 2021. The following season he won the NCAA singles title and virtually every other accolade. In just his second major tournament, he reached the quarterfinals at the 2023 Australian Open, which was his first time leaving the United States for a major. By the end of 2023, he had made the US Open semifinals and won his first ATP title at the Japan Open in October. Zverev said of Shelton: "Ben is just a big, powerful guy. Massive serve, massive groundstrokes. Everything he does is just big." When asked about the history on the line, Shelton joked: "Is there?" He offered a more serious assessment of his improvements: "I still feel so many categories that I think I have a long way to go, but I've made improvements and changes in some of the most important categories to be able to compete at the top. Return of serve, stability from the baseline, even my serve, the way that I go about putting together my service games has improved, and my ability to focus for long periods of time are all areas that have come together."