Ben Shelton is one win away from ending a 23-year drought for American men at Grand Slam tournaments after defeating close friend Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 to reach the US Open final.
For Tiafoe, the loss was crushing. The 28-year-old suffered a third semi-final defeat inside Arthur Ashe Stadium and saw slip away his bid to become the first Black man to contest a US Open final since the tennis great for whom the arena is named. Instead, that milestone opportunity belongs to Shelton, whose latest statement win followed his stunning upset of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Tiafoe left the court with a towel pulled over his head, unable to hide the emotion of the moment. Shelton, meanwhile, used his on-court interview to honor a player he described as his “big brother.”
“To be honest, every time we get to take this court together and play each other is super special,” Shelton said. “To be able to light it up in front of you guys is the best feeling that there is.”
Shelton had not been this deep in New York since his 2023 breakthrough. “I think I’ve grown up, I’m more mature, more focused,” he said. “I know what my job is and I’m hundred percent committed.”
His reward is a championship showdown with French Open champion Alexander Zverev. It will be Shelton’s first appearance in a Grand Slam final, while Zverev is preparing for his sixth.
Ben Shelton reached his first Grand Slam final after beating Frances Tiafoe in the US Open semi-finals
Tiafoe, 28, took the opening set but lost a third semi-final at the US Open
“I’m going to need you guys on Sunday to bring the energy,” Shelton told the crowd. “I’m going for it here. I’m going to leave it all on the court. Let’s do this for the USA.”
Shifted from the afternoon men’s semi-final window into a 7pm primetime spotlight, Shelton and Tiafoe produced exactly the kind of spectacle the US Open hoped for. Across four ferocious sets, the margins were thin, the pace relentless and the tension constant.
Yet, as he demonstrated against Alcaraz, Shelton has the power and composure to seize control when matches tighten. Once the door opened against Tiafoe, he stepped through decisively and finished the job without unnecessary delay.
He did it despite entering as the slight underdog. Tiafoe has long treated the US Open as his personal stage, repeatedly lifting his level in New York regardless of his broader season form. Under the Arthur Ashe lights in particular, he has often fed off the crowd and found another gear.
Locked in amid a strong run of form in 2026, Tiafoe has rewarded them more than ever on this run, and despite loyalties being broadly divided between the two Americans, he remained the favourite by an edge.
He surfed on this wave through the first set, playing immaculate tennis while Shelton looked restless and struggled to settle. Tiafoe had his full bag of tricks on display, including his smart net game, while Shelton’s variety failed him in the early stages – with his drop shots overcooked, and forehands at times overeager.
What remained on song was his serve, that 140mph weapon that can be so fast as to be invisible. While Shelton was reeling off aces, Tiafoe was frequently sending down second serves. But the 28-year-old’s game stayed neat, with just three unforced errors played, while Shelton went up and down, peppering in double faults, the second of which earned Tiafoe the crucial break.
But if beating Alcaraz has taught Shelton anything, it’s patience. There is a confidence to his game that, in the wake of that momentous win, makes a comeback feel like nothing more than a waiting game.
Determined to speed things up, Shelton was in attack mode as he roared into the second set with a straightforward hold of his serve before a rapid break of Tiafoe’s. Anything you can do, Tiafoe seemed to say, as he sent down a forehand which kissed the line and set up his first break point to love. He didn’t pull it off then, but the second attempt a point later was good.
Level on serve, Shelton gave the crowd their first big cry of amazement as the rallies grew longer, surviving 16 impossible shots until Tiafoe made the forehand error. With his blood up, Shelton bashed back a down-the-line winner for break point, and took it, wrenching momentum back towards him and swiping the set.
The tennis, already miraculous, only improved into the third set. Seeing their champion fading, the crowd screamed their support for Tiafoe as he paused to serve, down set point. But as the players reset to deuce for the seventh, the older man could only hold off the onslaught for so long.
Tiafoe often came off the better in the longer exchanges but they took their toll as the third set wore on, and Shelton hoovered up shorter points. He looked visibly fatigued, and only marginally fresher stepping out for the fourth.
His mood was no better when chair umpire Aurelie Tourte failed to tell Shelton that Tiafoe wasn’t ready to receive at break point, advantage.
Tiafoe had held up his hands and said ‘sorry, sorry’, but when Tourte failed to speak up and Shelton sent down the serve, both players rounded on her.
‘Why didn’t you say something?’ Tiafoe queried, while Shelton snapped: ‘You’ve got to say something immediately!’
The point was replayed, but Tiafoe never got his chance back. Shelton had his game face on as he put away his second advantage with a smacked forehand straight towards Tiafoe. There was no apology that followed it, only a glare thrown in Tiafoe’s direction.
But Tiafoe didn’t take a step back and looked the more comfortable player in the early stages of the fourth as his first serve firmed up. But as Shelton struck his 19th ace to make it 5-4 on serve, there were no problems there either.
The pressure was on Tiafoe, however, to serve and stay in the match, with the hope of winning that longed-for spot in his home Grand Slam final.
Despite Shelton climbing into the match at 40-30, it did not tell, with Tiafoe nerveless at the net to strike a forehand winner. It preceded an enormous yell from the Maryland-native.
But it was only a stay of execution. The next time he stepped up to serve, the crowd again screaming for him to keep fighting on, Tiafoe tightened up, and had to stare down three match point chances. Shelton only needed two, as Tiafoe sent down the fatal double fault.
