Ben Shelton will play for his first Grand Slam title on Sunday at the US Open, one win away from ending a 23-year wait for an American men's champion at Flushing Meadows.
Shelton came from a set down to beat Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in an all-American semifinal on Friday night. He is the first Black American man to reach the US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and the first former college player to reach a major final since John McEnroe in 1984. Tiafoe has now lost all three of his Grand Slam semifinals, each at the US Open.
Zverev waits with a perfect record
Top seed Alexander Zverev beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (8-6) in the first semifinal, moving into his fourth major semifinal of the year and his second US Open final. Zverev holds a 5-0 career record against Shelton and has won the last ten sets between them. Sunday will be their first meeting at a Grand Slam.
'Hopefully I can not make the American dream come true on Sunday,' Zverev said after his win. Shelton was more direct: 'I know what my goal is, what my job is. I'm going for it here. Let's do this for the USA.'
A title drought since Roddick
No American man has won a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003. Shelton would also be the first former college player to win a major since McEnroe, as former college players have lost 11 straight major finals. Zverev, the Olympic champion, is chasing the second Grand Slam title of his career.
On the women's side, top seed Aryna Sabalenka met Elena Rybakina in Saturday's final. Sabalenka was seeking a third straight US Open title, the first three-peat at the tournament since Serena Williams from 2012 to 2014, while Rybakina was playing for her second major of 2026 after beating Sabalenka at the Australian Open. Rybakina takes the world No. 1 ranking on Monday. Friday's play began with commemorations marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.