Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe are facing off in an all-American US Open men's semi-final at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The winner will become the first Black American man to reach the US Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and the first to reach any grand slam singles final since MaliVai Washington in 1996.
Shelton, 23, is attempting to become the youngest American man to reach a US Open final since Andy Roddick in 2003. He has a perfect record in semi-finals this season, winning titles in Dallas, Munich, Stuttgart, and Montreal after reaching the final four.
Tiafoe has spent 16 hours and 3 minutes on court across five matches, making it the fourth-longest journey to a US Open semi-final since 1991. He is making his third US Open semi-final appearance in five years, a feat that matches Andre Agassi for an American man this century.
Shelton leads their overall series 3-1, including a straight-sets victory in Washington last summer. Their previous encounters at Flushing Meadows saw Shelton win in the 2023 quarter-finals, and Tiafoe win a five-set match in the third round a year later.
In the junior tournaments, Marcel Latak, 17, has reached both the boys’ singles and doubles finals, aiming to be the first American to sweep both titles at a grand slam since Robin Montgomery in 2021. Sisters Kristina and Annika Penickova have also reached the girls' doubles final.