Ben Shelton has reached the US Open final, one win away from ending America’s 22-year wait

Ben Shelton of the United States (AP photo) Ben Shelton is one win away from ending the United States’ long wait for a men’s Grand Slam champion after winning the US Open semifinal against Frances Tiafoe on Friday.The number eight recovered from an opening set loss to defeat Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 to book a place in his first major final.Shelton will face top seed Alexander Zverev, who earlier defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6), in Sunday’s championship match.A win over French Open champion Zverev would give the United States its first men’s Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open.“I’m going to go for it here and leave it all on the court,” Shelton said. “I hope you come and get back at me. Let’s do it for the US.”Meanwhile, Zverev is looking to add a second major title this year after finally breaking his Grand Slam drought at the French Open.“I hope I can’t achieve the American dream on Sunday,” Zverev said.

Shelton survives another tough stretch

Shelton’s run to the finals came despite a grueling schedule.The 23-year-old from Georgia beat defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals, which ended at 3:33 a.m. on Wednesday, the latest finish in a match in US Open history.Still, Shelton showed no signs of running out of steam against Tiafoe.Both Americans needed tiebreakers in their quarterfinals, but Shelton produced the stronger finish when it mattered most.“This is where we want to be: at the end of this tournament,” Shelton said. “This is our favorite tournament in the world, our favorite court in the world, and to be able to light it up in front of (this crowd) is the best feeling there is.”Shelton was less than a year old when Roddick won his US Open title. Now, more than two decades later, he has the chance to become the American who finally brings the men’s Grand Slam trophy back home.

Tiafoe’s semi-final continues

Tiafoe’s last campaign at the US Open ended with another semi-final defeat.The American is now 0-3 in US Open semifinals, with each of his last two losses coming against compatriots. Taylor Fritz defeated him in 2024 before losing the final to Jannik Sinner.Tiafoe also produced one of the most dramatic comebacks of the tournament in the quarter-finals, recovering from two sets down before overcoming second-seeded American Alex Michelsen after erasing a 3-0 deficit in the deciding set.He started the semi-final as a cleaner player. After a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in which a giant American flag was unfurled across the court, Tiafoe committed just three unforced errors in the opening set compared to Shelton’s 14.At 4-4, Shelton’s double fault gave Tiafoe a break and he closed out the opening set.But the pace quickly changed.

Shelton’s delivery changes the competition

Shelton responded by upping his serve and eventually finished the match with 20 aces.Tied at 3-3 in the second set while serving with the new balls, he opened with a 125 mph serve. Tiafoe was able to get his racquet to the ball almost in self-defense, but was knocked back onto the court.Shelton then followed with serves clocked at 144, 139 and 140 mph. The last two produced aces and helped him gain control of the set.The third set brought another big test.Tiafoe fought desperately to hold serve in the final game, but the battle lasted 15 minutes and 20 points before sending a forehand into the net. Shelton took the set to move up one to the final.The eighth seed then finished the job in the fourth to close out the match 7-5.

A star-studded crowd watches the American showdown

The semifinals drew a high-profile audience, with sports and entertainment stars appearing at the all-American competition.Serena Williams, Jalen Brunson and American soccer player Trinity Rodman, Shelton’s girlfriend, were among the attendees, alongside actors Salma Hayek, Ben Stiller and Rami Malek.The atmosphere reflected the significance of the occasion, with both Shelton and Tiafoe attempting to become the latest American to reach a Grand Slam final.Only Shelton could take the next step.

Zverev stands between Shelton and history

Standing in Shelton’s way is a player who knows exactly what it means to wait for his first major.Zverev was long considered the best player without a Grand Slam title before he finally won the French Open this year. He then reached the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Jannik Sinner.The German has gone 24-2 in Grand Slam matches this season and is now back in another major final.“Sometimes things just go your way and I feel like I’ve had a lot of matches at the major level, I’ve been so close so many times and maybe this year God said this is going to be your year and just enjoy your time on court,” Zverev said.Sunday’s final will also give Zverev another chance to erase one of the most painful memories of his career.In the 2020 US Open final, he won the first two sets against Dominic Thiem, but eventually lost in a tiebreak in the fifth set. Thiem became the first man since 1949 to win the US Open after losing the opening two sets.Zverev was much more composed after taking the first lead this year. He has now won 13 consecutive sets after becoming the first male No. 1 seed to go five-set matches in each of the first two rounds of a major.Now Shelton stands between him and another Grand Slam trophy as the American has a chance to do something no American male player has done since Roddick in 2003.