New York, September 12 (Daily Kiran) : American tennis player Ben Shelton has made history by defeating fellow countryman Frances Tiafoe in a thrilling semifinal match at the 2026 US Open. The victory secures Shelton a spot in the singles final, where he will face Germany’s Alexander Zverev. This marks Shelton’s first appearance in a Grand Slam final, a significant milestone in his career.
In a match that spanned four sets, Shelton triumphed over Tiafoe with scores of 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, and 7-5. With this win, he becomes the first Black American man to reach the US Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and the first Black American man to reach any Grand Slam singles final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996.
After the match, Shelton chose not to perform his trademark “dialed-in” celebration, as Tiafoe’s double fault concluded the three-hour and 17-minute contest. Reflecting on their match, Shelton expressed his admiration for Tiafoe, stating, “He is like a big brother to me. Every time we play together on this court, it feels special. We both wanted to be here at the end of this tournament. This is our favorite tournament in the world, and playing on this court in front of you all is the best feeling.”
Shelton, seeded eighth and the highest-ranked American player, will face top seed Alexander Zverev in the final scheduled for September 13. Zverev secured his place by defeating Karen Khachanov in the earlier semifinal, winning in straight sets with scores of 6-3, 7-6 (7), and 7-6 (6).
Historically, Shelton has yet to defeat Zverev in their previous five encounters. Their last meeting in November at the ATP Finals ended in a straight-sets loss for Shelton.
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