Ben Shelton moved within a single victory of ending a 23-year drought for U.S. men’s Grand Slam singles champions by reaching his first major final at the US Open. The 23-year-old rallied past Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and will face top seed Alexander Zverev on Sunday, a match that will decide whether an American reclaims the majors crown last won in 2003.
Shelton, the eighth seed, absorbed an early setback when Tiafoe took the opening set after Shelton lost serve at 4-4, including a double fault on break point, but rebuilt the match with a dominant serve. He landed 75% of his first serves, produced 20 aces, and closed the fourth set with a break at 6-5 to avoid a tiebreak after 3 hours 16 minutes. The crowd of nearly 24,000 watched extended exchanges, including a service game at 3-5 that ran 15 minutes and 20 points; Tiafoe saved three set points before missing a forehand on the fourth. Shelton also produced a 149mph delivery to finish the second set and erased two early break points in the fourth with 140mph and 144mph serves.
The win carried marks beyond the scoreboard. Shelton becomes the first Black American man to reach the US Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and the first Black American in a grand slam singles final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996. His path to the final included a five-set quarter-final victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz that ended at 3.33am, Shelton’s first win over a top-three opponent after 17 previous attempts and the result that halted Alcaraz’s 18-match majors winning streak.
Shelton spoke about his composure after the match, saying, “It’s amazing to be in this position,” and, “Obviously we’re not done here. The job is not finished. Super excited to get another opportunity to go out there and show my best on Sunday.” He added, “I was honestly shocked with how calm I was out there today, especially towards the end of the match. Calm, confident, focused. I think that that’s what it takes to be in these positions and win at the highest level.” Tiafoe offered measured praise, saying, “His game is starting to get more polished.”
Sunday’s final will test whether Shelton’s serving form and composure under pressure can carry him past Zverev and end the long U.S. title drought, or whether Europe’s recent dominance in men’s majors continues.
