Ben Shelton Beat Frances Tiafoe in Four Sets to Become the First American Man in a United States Open Final Since Two Thousand and Three
The eighth seed won 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 with twenty aces and will face Alexander Zverev for the title on Sunday.
The second men's semi-final at Flushing Meadows on 11 September was an all-American meeting between the eighth seed Ben Shelton and the eleventh seed Frances Tiafoe. Shelton lost the opening set and then won three in a row, taking the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.
He struck twenty aces against three double faults and landed 75 per cent of his first serves. At twenty-three he reaches his first Grand Slam final.
Shelton is the first American man in a United States Open final since Andy Roddick won the title in 2003, and the first Black American man to reach the final since Arthur Ashe in 1972. His route included a five-set quarter-final win over the second seed Carlos Alcaraz, 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6, and a straight-sets fourth-round win over the fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
He said he had grown up, was more mature and more focused, and knew what his goal was. The final against Alexander Zverev is scheduled for Sunday 13 September.