The winner of Friday’s US Open semi-final between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton will become the first black man since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2008 and the first African American since MaliVai Washington in 1996 to reach a Grand Slam final. That immediate consequence frames a match that has grown into a milestone for a new generation of players.
The Story in Pictures
Gaël Monfils’s farewell at Flushing Meadows has been a recurring theme across the opening days of the tournament. The veteran’s retirement, capped by a straight-sets defeat to Learner Tien at Louis Armstrong Stadium, has been noted not only for the crowd’s reaction but for the esteem in which fellow players hold him. Tiafoe has said he spent his youth looking up to Monfils, Arthur Fils calls him an older brother, and Naomi Osaka uses the nickname "the GOAT" for him.
The match between Tiafoe and Shelton arrives amid a wider recalibration in men’s tennis. This summer saw Félix Auger-Aliassime, Arthur Fils and Ben Shelton consolidate places near the top of the rankings, and the Cincinnati and Canadian tournaments produced historic finals and breakthrough titles, including Fils’s victory over Tiafoe and Shelton’s Canadian Open win. Those results, alongside last year’s US Open runs, mean there will be four black players inside the ATP top 11.
Both semi-finalists carry extra weight as Americans at their home major, reminders of how far US men’s tennis has drifted since Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open title. The draw has also lost several multiple Grand Slam winners, leaving the path to the trophy unusually open and increasing the stakes for players who have never before navigated this level of pressure.
Shelton and Tiafoe bring contrasting recent momentum: Shelton produced the biggest win of his career by beating the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, while Tiafoe has reached his third US Open semi-final after a season he describes as marked by greater professionalism and focus. They have met twice already at Flushing Meadows, splitting victories, and their friendship off court promises an intense, high-quality encounter on it. The match will test which player is most ready to shoulder the expectation that comes with a place in a Grand Slam final.
