Ben Shelton Beats Frances Tiafoe to Reach US Open Final

American tennis player Ben Shelton secured a place in his first Grand Slam final by defeating fellow American Frances Tiafoe in four sets at the US Open in New York on Friday. The eighth seed registered a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory to advance to Sunday’s final against top-seeded Alexander Zverev. Shelton’s win positions him to potentially break his nation’s two-decade drought in men’s major singles championships.

Match Progression and Key Moments

Before the match began on Arthur Ashe Stadium, a large American flag was displayed on the court to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Tiafoe took control early, capturing the opening set 6-4 after committing three unforced errors compared to 14 by Shelton. Tiafoe secured the decisive service break at 4-4 following a double fault from Shelton. However, Shelton adjusted his serve in the second set. Holding serve at 3-3, he delivered consecutive serves measured at 125 mph, 144 mph, 139 mph, and 140 mph to hold game, finishing the match with 20 aces.

Tiafoe’s effectiveness on his second serve declined as the match progressed, dropping from 69 percent in the first set to 28 percent across the final three sets. A critical moment occurred at the conclusion of the third set during a game on Tiafoe’s serve that lasted 15 minutes and 20 points, ending when Tiafoe hit a forehand into the net. Shelton ultimately closed out the victory in the fourth set. After the defeat, Tiafoe said, “Ben played well tonight. Served really well tonight.” The defeat dropped Tiafoe to an 0-3 career record in US Open semifinal matches.

Historical Milestones and Rankings

Shelton’s victory establishes several historical achievements for American men’s tennis. At 23 years old, he is the first Black American man to reach the US Open men’s final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and the first to reach any Grand Slam final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996.

Shelton is aiming to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open. Additionally, as the 2022 NCAA singles champion from the University of Florida, he could become the first former college player to win a major title since John McEnroe won the US Open in 1984. Former college players have lost 11 consecutive major finals.

With his performance in New York, Shelton is guaranteed to rise to a career-high ATP ranking of world No. 4 on Monday. This will make him the highest-ranked former college player on the men’s tour since former Harvard player James Blake reached No. 4 in January 2007.

Finals Matchup Against Zverev

Shelton advanced to the final despite playing a late quarterfinal match against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz that concluded at 3:33 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, marking the latest finish in tournament history.

In Sunday’s final, Shelton will face world No. 1 Alexander Zverev, who defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) in the other semifinal. Zverev holds a 5-0 career record against Shelton, though the two have not previously met in a Grand Slam tournament. Zverev, who claimed his first major title at the French Open earlier this year, joked after his victory, “Hopefully, I can not make the American dream come true on Sunday.”

If Shelton wins the title, it will mark only the second time in the last 20 years that two male players have become first-time Grand Slam champions in the same calendar year, repeating a pattern last seen in 2014 when Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic won major titles. Addressing the home crowd after his semifinal win, Shelton declared, “Let’s do it for the USA.”

Background

The US Open is the final Grand Slam tournament of the annual tennis calendar, held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. American men’s tennis has experienced a prolonged major singles title drought since Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003, with American contenders frequently reaching deep into major tournaments but coming up short of championship titles.