Shelton beats Tiafoe in all American clash to reach maiden grand slam final
Ben Shelton battled past fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday, September 11, to reach his first Grand Slam final, putting the eighth seed one win away from ending a 23 year wait for an American men's major champion.
Shelton will face top seed Alexander Zverev in Sunday's final, having eliminated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 earlier the same day to reach his own first US Open title match since 2020, and third Grand Slam final of the season overall.
Zverev holds a commanding 5-0 record over Shelton in their career head to head, though the American will carry considerable momentum into the match, buoyed by home support and having already stunned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter finals.
By reaching the final, the 23 year old becomes the youngest American man to contest the US Open championship match since Andy Roddick, then also 21, in 2003, and only the 13th different American finalist in the tournament's Open Era history.
Shelton is also the first Black American man to reach a US Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and the first to reach any Grand Slam singles final since MaliVai Washington's run at Wimbledon in 1996, adding further historical weight to Sunday's meeting with Zverev.
The semi final unfolded before a packed crowd of around 24,000 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, held against the backdrop of ceremonies marking 25 years since the September 11 attacks, with Shelton, born in Georgia and raised in Florida, facing Maryland native Tiafoe in an entertaining if occasionally scrappy contest.
Tiafoe edged the opening set after Shelton double faulted while serving at 4-4, 40 advantage, allowing the 28 year old to close it out to love. Shelton responded in the second set, breaking at 4-3 with a blistering backhand return winner before serving out the set behind his powerful left handed delivery.
The third set turned on a marathon service game, with Shelton eventually converting his fourth set point after more than 15 minutes of play, sealing it when Tiafoe's forehand volley clipped the net.
Shelton then held his nerve in the fourth set, breaking at 6-5 to move ahead before closing out victory in three hours and 17 minutes.
The American finished the match with 47 winners, including 20 aces, improving his career head to head record against Tiafoe to 4-1, with two of those wins now coming specifically on the hard courts at Flushing Meadows.
Notable spectators inside the stadium included tennis greats Serena Williams, Stan Smith, Lindsay Davenport and Kim Clijsters, alongside celebrities such as Ben Stiller and Rami Malek, as well as basketball star Jalen Brunson and football icon Ronaldo Nazario.
Shelton has enjoyed a breakout season overall, reaching his fifth final of the year with a perfect 4-0 record in previous championship matches, having already won titles in Dallas, Munich, Stuttgart and Montreal. He will rise to fourth in the world rankings following his run in New York, while Tiafoe secures a career high ranking of eighth after reaching the semi finals.
Should Shelton overcome Zverev on Sunday, he would become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Roddick's triumph at the same tournament in 2003, a milestone that has eluded the country's men for well over two decades.