Queens, NY— Ben Shelton is one victory away from ending one of the longest droughts in American men’s tennis.
The No. 8 seed defeated fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday in an electric all-American U.S. Open semifinal, earning a place in Sunday’s championship match against top seed Alexander Zverev.
Shelton will now carry the hopes of American tennis into the final as he attempts to become the first U.S. man in more than two decades to win a Grand Slam singles championship.
Andy Roddick was the last American man to accomplish the feat, winning the 2003 U.S. Open.
The victory also placed Shelton in a significant place in tennis history. He is the first Black American man to reach the U.S. Open final since Arthur Ashe did so in 1972 and the first Black American man to reach a Grand Slam final since MaliVai Washington advanced to the Wimbledon championship match in 1996.
Despite playing deep into the tournament, Shelton showed little sign of fatigue. He was coming off a grueling quarterfinal victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, a match that concluded at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday morning in the latest finish in U.S. Open history.
Rather than showing signs of exhaustion, Shelton repeatedly found another level when the match against Tiafoe tightened.
Tiafoe struck first, taking the opening set, but Shelton responded by controlling the next two sets. His power from the baseline and aggressive play steadily shifted the match in his favor before he closed out the victory in four sets.
Now comes the biggest challenge of his career.
Zverev earned his spot in the final by defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) in the opening semifinal. The German enters Sunday’s championship match with a perfect 5-0 record against Shelton and has won the last 10 sets they have played.
The two have never met at a Grand Slam, however, giving Shelton an opportunity to rewrite their history on the biggest stage.
Shelton also has a chance to make history as a former college player.
The 2022 NCAA singles champion at the University of Florida is attempting to become the first former college tennis player to win a men’s Grand Slam singles title since John McEnroe captured the 1984 U.S. Open.
Former college players have fallen short in their last 11 Grand Slam finals.
Shelton can end that streak Sunday.
More importantly, he can end America’s long wait for another men’s Grand Slam champion — and potentially begin a new chapter for American tennis.
