Ben Shelton won the all-American duel with Frances Tiafoe and now he’s the one who can end his country’s long wait for another men’s Grand Slam champion.
The No. Open. “I hope you guys come and back me. Let’s do it for the USA. Shelton and Tiafoe treated the fans to a good show, after both had to come through match tiebreakers in the previous round. “This is both of our favourite tournaments in the world, our favourite court in the world, and to be able to light it up in front of (this crowd) is the best feeling that there is. Open semifinals, the last two against fellow Americans. Zverev, who had long been considered the best men’s player without a major, finally broke through at the French Open this year.
8-seeded Shelton had plenty of energy left after ousting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a quarterfinal match that ended Wednesday (September 9) at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish ever at the U.S. Zverev beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) in the first semifinal. Shelton, a 23-year-old from Georgia who was less than a year old when Roddick won his title, advanced to his first major final. Tiafoe fell to 0-3 in the U.S. Taylor Fritz beat him in 2024 before losing to Jannik Sinner. The German followed by reaching the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Sinner, and is 24-2 in Grand Slam matches this season.
“I’m going for it here, and I’m going to leave it all on the court,” Shelton said. “Hopefully I can not make the American dream come true on Sunday (September 13),” Zverev said. “This is where we want to be: at the tail end of this tournament,” Shelton said.
Tiafoe’s Critical Third Set Game
In a tense moment during the match, Frances Tiafoe faced a crucial game in the final stages of the third set while trying to hold serve. This pivotal game extended for 15 minutes and included 20 points. Ultimately, Tiafoe’s forehand error into the net concluded the game, leaving Ben Shelton just one set away from claiming the title.
The Shelton-Tiafoe match drew a star-studded crowd that included stars from sports, including Serena Williams, Jalen Brunson and of course U.S. soccer player Trinity Rodman, Shelton’s girlfriend; and actors Salma Hayek, Ben Stiller and Rami Malek.