Ben Shelton Beats Tiafoe, Sets Up US Open Final With Zverev In Bid To End 23-Year American Wait

Ben Shelton is one win away from ending a long American wait for a men’s Grand Slam champion after defeating fellow American Frances Tiafoe in a thrilling US Open semifinal.

The eighth-seeded Shelton fought back from a set down to beat Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday and book his place in his first Grand Slam final. He will face top seed Alexander Zverev on Sunday, with the German chasing his second major title of the season.

A Shelton victory would give the United States its first men’s Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003. “I’m going for it here, and I’m going to leave it all on the court,” Shelton said, urging American fans to get behind him in the final.

The 23-year-old Georgia native showed remarkable resilience after his exhausting quarterfinal against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, which finished at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday, the latest-ever finish at the US Open. Despite the limited recovery time, Shelton produced another powerful performance to keep his title hopes alive.

Tiafoe started strongly and took the opening set after Shelton struggled with his consistency. But Shelton responded by raising the power and accuracy of his serve, eventually finishing with 20 aces. A 125 mph serve early in the second set set the tone for his comeback, with Shelton repeatedly finding huge speeds and putting Tiafoe under pressure.

The turning point came late in the third set when Tiafoe battled through a marathon service game. Shelton eventually broke him after 20 points and 15 minutes, moving within a set of the final. Tiafoe fought until the end, but Shelton held his nerve to close out the fourth set 7-5.

Tiafoe, who was appearing in his third US Open semifinal, once again fell short. He had also lost at this stage to fellow American Taylor Fritz in 2024, while his previous semifinal appearance came against another American.

Earlier, Zverev defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) to reach the final. The German, who won his maiden Grand Slam at the French Open this year, has also reached the Wimbledon final and now owns a 24-2 record in Grand Slam matches this season.

Zverev will now look to complete his US Open journey after his heartbreaking 2020 final loss to Dominic Thiem, when he surrendered a two-set lead before losing in a fifth-set tiebreak. On Sunday, he will face a younger Shelton who is playing in his first major final and carrying the hopes of the home crowd.