NEW YORK — Ben Shelton has put himself on the doorstep of American tennis history.
The 23-year-old American defeated fellow countryman Frances Tiafoe, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, in a fiercely contested semifinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday to reach his first Grand Slam singles final at the 2026 US Open.
Shelton dropped the opening set but responded with a commanding comeback, taking the next three sets behind his powerful serve, aggressive baseline game and increasingly composed play under pressure.
The victory sends Shelton into Sunday’s championship match against world No. 1 Alexander Zverev, who defeated Karen Khachanov in the other semifinal.
From setback to comeback
Tiafoe made the stronger start, taking the first set 6-4 and briefly putting Shelton under pressure.
But Shelton quickly changed the momentum.
He broke back in the second set and began dictating more exchanges with his serve and forehand, eventually leveling the match at one set apiece. He carried that momentum into the third set and took a 2-1 lead before surviving a tense fourth set to close out the match, 7-5.
Shelton finished with 18 aces, according to The Guardian, while repeatedly producing big serves and aggressive shots at critical moments.
A historic American showdown
The semifinal was already historic before the first ball was struck.
It was an all-American men’s semifinal featuring two Black American players—a milestone at this stage of the US Open. Shelton’s victory makes him the first Black American man to reach the US Open men’s singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
The match also represented another chapter in Shelton and Tiafoe’s growing rivalry.
The two had met four times before Friday, with Shelton entering the semifinal holding a 3-1 advantage. Their previous US Open encounters were split: Shelton won their 2023 quarterfinal, while Tiafoe prevailed in their 2024 third-round meeting.
This time, however, Shelton produced the decisive performance on the biggest stage.
Shelton’s road to the final
Shelton’s run has become one of the most impressive stories of this year’s tournament.
Before facing Tiafoe, he eliminated several established opponents, including Stefanos Tsitsipas, Hubert Hurkacz and Tallon Griekspoor.
His biggest victory came in the quarterfinals, when he stunned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a dramatic five-set match that finished at 3:33 a.m., one of the latest finishes in US Open history.
That victory ended Alcaraz’s title defense and propelled Shelton into his second US Open semifinal.
The American entered the tournament with confidence already high after winning the Montreal tournament, his fourth title of the 2026 season.
Tiafoe’s impressive run ends
Tiafoe’s semifinal appearance was his third US Open Final Four appearance in five years, matching Andre Agassi for the most US Open men’s semifinals by an American man this century.
His path to the semifinal was equally dramatic.
Tiafoe battled back from two sets down against fellow American Alex Michelsen in the quarterfinals, overcoming a deficit that included being down a break in the third set and trailing 3-0 in the fifth before completing the comeback.
That grueling run ultimately ended against Shelton, but Tiafoe once again established himself as one of the leading American players of his generation.
One match away from ending America’s long wait
Shelton now has a chance to accomplish something no American man has done since Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003.
An American men’s Grand Slam drought has stretched for more than two decades, making Sunday’s final far bigger than simply Shelton’s first major championship opportunity.
A victory over Zverev would make Shelton the first American man in 23 years to capture a Grand Slam singles title. It would also make him the first Black men’s US Open champion since Arthur Ashe won the tournament in 1968.
But standing in his way is Zverev, the world No. 1 and 2026 French Open champion, who is chasing his second Grand Slam title.
For Shelton, the opportunity is now clear.
One more victory could transform an already remarkable US Open run into a defining moment for American tennis.
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