Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe will meet in an all-American US Open semifinal on Friday, September 11, with both chasing their first Grand Slam final.
The clash gives American men a chance to end a 23-year wait for a homegrown US Open champion. Andy Roddick was the last American man to win the title, in 2003.
Eighth seed Shelton reached the last four with the biggest win of his career, beating defending champion and second seed Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller.
Shelton recovered from losing the opening set to defeat Alcaraz 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 in four hours and 28 minutes. The match ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in US Open history.
The 23-year-old had earlier beaten Denis Shapovalov and Stefanos Tsitsipas on his way to the semi-finals.
Eleventh seed Tiafoe also went the distance in the quarter-finals, recovering to beat compatriot Alex Michelsen and reach his third US Open semi-final.
Tiafoe first reached the last four in New York in 2022, beating Rafael Nadal before losing to eventual champion Alcaraz.
Shelton leads their career meetings 3-1, but their US Open record is tied at 1-1. Shelton won their 2023 meeting in New York, while Tiafoe claimed victory when they met again at the 2024 US Open.
Friday’s winner will reach a maiden Grand Slam final and face either top seed Alexander Zverev or Russia’s Karen Khachanov in Sunday’s final.
Zverev leads Khachanov 6-3 in their career meetings. A victory for either Shelton or Tiafoe would take American men one step closer to ending their long wait for a US Open champion.
