Shelton advances to US Open 2026 men’s final for Zverev showdown

Ben Shelton reached his first Grand Slam final after outlasting fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in a charged US Open semifinal on Friday. The 23-year-old’s victory sets up a title match against top-seeded Alexander Zverev, who advanced earlier in the day with a straight-sets win over Karen Khachanov. The result moves Shelton within a single match of ending a long drought for U.S. men at the majors: no American man has won a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick in 2003. The semifinal also ensured a Black American man would reach the final in New York for the first time since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and the first appearance by a Black American in any major final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996. Friday’s match began under a solemn cloud as evening commemorations marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Tiafoe seized the early initiative to claim the opening set, but Shelton raised his level thereafter, breaking in the fifth game of the third set and using his heavy left-handed serve and steady defence to seize control. The match concluded when Tiafoe double-faulted, and Shelton paid tribute to his family’s sacrifices and to his grandmother, who died earlier in the year; he said simply, “I’m going for it,” and vowed to leave everything on the court. Zverev arrives in New York with recent momentum after winning the French Open and recovering from two five-set tests in the opening rounds; he has since posted four consecutive straight-set wins to reach his third straight major final, having finished runner-up at the US Open in 2020. The men’s final on Sunday will decide whether Shelton can complete his breakthrough or whether Zverev will add a second major title. Elsewhere at Flushing Meadows, Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend completed a team career Grand Slam with a 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 victory over American wildcards Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery in the women’s doubles final. The tournament’s women’s singles final is scheduled for Saturday, when defending champion Aryna Sabalenka meets Elena Rybakina.