Shelton reaches first Grand Slam final after overcoming Tiafoe
The eighth seed defeated fellow American Frances Tiafoe in four sets and will face Alexander Zverev for the title.
Ben Shelton has reached his first Grand Slam final after defeating Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in an all-American US Open semi-final.
The No. 8 seed recovered after losing the opening set, taking control through his serve and groundstrokes as the match progressed. Tiafoe, the No. 11 seed, struggled with his first serve and was broken four times across the second and third sets.
Shelton finished with 20 aces and won 62 per cent of points against Tiafoe’s second serve, according to CBS Sports. A serve initially recorded at 158 mph was later corrected to 144 mph.
The semi-final was described as the first Grand Slam meeting between two Black American men. Shelton is also reported to be the first Black American man to reach the US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
Shelton will play top seed Alexander Zverev for the title. Zverev reached the final by defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (8-6), and is identified in the source material as the 2026 French Open champion.
