Ben Shelton Powers Past Frances Tiafoe to Reach First Grand Slam Final, Aims to End 23-Year U.S. Men’s Title Drought

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 11: Ben Shelton of the United States celebrates a point against Frances Tiafoe of the United States during their Men’s Semifinal match on Day Thirteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

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In a highly charged all-American semifinal on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Ben Shelton served his way into his first Grand Slam final before a capacity crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 23-year-old left-hander now stands one victory away from ending a 23-year drought for American men in major singles championships.

No American man has captured a major title since Andy Roddick triumphed at the 2003 U.S. Open.

Eighth-seeded Shelton unleashed 20 aces to overcome 11th seed Frances Tiafoe, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, securing his place in Sunday’s final (2 p.m. ET, ABC). Tiafoe double-faulted on Shelton’s second match point before vaulting the net to embrace his compatriot and friend.

Shelton will face top seed Alexander Zverev, who advanced with a straight-sets victory over Karen Khachanov, 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(6), in the earlier semifinal. Zverev holds a commanding 5-0 career record against Shelton.

“Everybody loves Frances and Ben,” Zverev said during his on-court interview. “Tonight is gonna be an epic semifinal. Hopefully I can NOT make the American dream come true on Sunday.”

With the victory, Shelton became the first Black man to reach the U.S. Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.

“It’s a lot of emotion,” Shelton told the crowd. “My mom and dad sacrificed a lot for me to be in this position today. My dad lost his mom earlier this year. She’s the reason he was able to play tennis. Without her there’s no Ben Shelton standing here today. This one is for her.”

He continued: “I’m going to need you guys on Sunday to bring the energy. We’re going for it here. I’m going to leave it all on the court. I hope you guys come and back me. Let’s do this for the USA.”

Shelton also acknowledged the solemnity of the date: “One more thing, it’s a difficult day to be out here playing. My thoughts and prayers go out to all families who are impacted by 9/11. This is one of the greatest cities in the world and one of the biggest tragedies. Thoughts and prayers to everyone involved and affected.”

Among the spectators were Serena Williams, a 23-time major champion and six-time U.S. Open winner, along with New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges—witnessing the first major semifinal featuring two Black American men.

“I keep looking up at the screen, like oh shoot, Jalen Brunson’s here,” Shelton remarked with a smile.

Sunday’s champion will claim $5.5 million, with the runner-up receiving $2.8 million.

Zverev is contesting his third consecutive Grand Slam final after capturing his maiden major at Roland Garros and falling to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon. To lift the trophy, Shelton must defeat both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds—having already upset defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a quarterfinal that concluded at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday, the latest finish in tournament history.

Tiafoe, appearing in his third U.S. Open semifinal (2022, 2024), continues his pursuit of a first Grand Slam final appearance. Fellow American Taylor Fritz reached the 2024 final but fell to Sinner in straight sets.

Shelton’s serve proved devastating throughout the match. At one point, a serve was initially clocked at 158 mph—which would have set an ATP record—before being corrected to 144 mph.

“It’s crazy how big his serve is,” John McEnroe observed on the ESPN broadcast.

A pivotal 15-minute game in the third set, with Tiafoe serving at 3-5, ended when the latter netted a forehand to surrender the break and the set. Shelton landed an extraordinary 82 percent of his first serves in that frame.

The rivals produced scintillating tennis that enthralled the crowd. Shelton claimed a remarkable point to lead 3-2 in the fourth set with a sprinting backhand slice winner down the line. As Tiafoe trailed, chants of “Let’s go, Frances” cascaded from the stands.

But serving to extend the match at 5-6 in the fourth, Tiafoe fell behind 0-30, then sailed a forehand long to gift Shelton triple match point at 0-40. A second double-fault sealed the outcome, prompting Tiafoe to scale the net once more for a warm embrace.

Shelton now leads their head-to-head series 4-1, including a 2-1 edge at the U.S. Open. More significantly, he carries the hopes of a nation eager to celebrate a men’s major champion for the first time since Roddick’s triumph 23 years ago.

Fritz held that same opportunity two years ago but came up short. Now, Shelton must conquer Zverev for the first time to etch his name into history.

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