Sunday’s clash for the US Open men’s singles title is now set as American Ben Shelton will face top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany.
A historic all-American men’s semifinal between No. 8 seed Ben Shelton and No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe went to the younger Shelton, who rallied from a set down to win the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.
On a somber day in the United States and New York City, the two countrymen went toe-to-toe in the second semifinal of the day. Entering Friday, the duo had combined for five US Open semifinals since 2022, but each was still seeking their first career grand slam final appearance.
Tiafoe and Shelton split the first two sets as the fans at the famed Arthur Ashe Stadium settled in for what had the makings of an epic showdown.
The 23-year-old Shelton took command of the match in the third set, with two breaks to go along with a blistering serve. The final game of the set was a 15-minute bout that thrilled those in the stands. They saw seven deuces and four set points until Shelton finally got Tiafoe to hit an unforced error into the net to capture the lead and move within a set of Sunday’s championship.
