- Ben Shelton reached his first Grand Slam final by defeating Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in the 2026 US Open semifinals.
- Shelton became the first Florida men's tennis alum and first Black American man since 1972 to reach the US Open singles final.
- Shelton aims to be the first American man since 2003 to win the US Open and the first former college player to win a Grand Slam since 1984.
NEW YORK — Former Florida men’s tennis standout Ben Shelton reached his first Grand Slam final Friday night, defeating No. 11 Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in the US Open semifinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
With the victory, Shelton became the first Florida men’s tennis alum to reach a Grand Slam singles final, surpassing his previous career-best finish of a semifinal appearance.
The 23-year-old Shelton also moved one victory away from becoming the first American man to win the US Open men’s singles title since Andy Roddick in 2003. Shelton is the youngest American man to reach the US Open final since Roddick, who was 21 when he reached the championship match in 2003.
A victory Sunday would make Shelton the first former college player — man or woman — to win a Grand Slam singles title since 1984.
Shelton also became the first Black American man to reach a US Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972. Shelton accomplished the feat on the court named in Ashe’s honor.
Tiafoe won the opening set 6-4 after breaking Shelton in the ninth game, capitalizing on a double fault. Shelton responded by taking the second set 6-3 after jumping to an early 2-0 lead and later winning three consecutive games.
The third set featured a 15-minute game that included four set points, making it the longest game of the 2026 US Open to that point. Shelton eventually broke Tiafoe’s serve to close out the set 6-3 and move within one set of his first Grand Slam final.
Shelton’s powerful serve proved decisive in the fourth set. He recorded 20 aces, his most in the tournament, and took a 6-5 lead after Tiafoe battled back to tie the set at 5-5. Tiafoe then committed a double fault, allowing Shelton to close out the match 7-5.
Shelton entered the semifinal after recording the biggest victory of his career, defeating No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in five sets in the quarterfinals. Both Shelton and Tiafoe were seeking their first Grand Slam final appearance.
The matchup was just the third all-American men’s singles semifinal at a Grand Slam this century, with both players coming off five-set quarterfinal wins.
With the victory, Shelton improved to 4-1 all-time against Tiafoe. Tiafoe was appearing in his third US Open semifinal in the past five years.