Ben Shelton has reached the U.S. Open final after defeating Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in Friday’s men’s semifinal.
Shelton, the No. 8 seed, overcame the No. 11 seed in a match that lasted over three hours at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Tiafoe claimed the first set, before Shelton took the following three sets to earn a place in the championship match.
The victory puts Shelton into the final of one of tennis’s four major tournaments. He will face Alexander Zverev, the No. 1 seed, for the U.S. Open men’s title.
The semifinal brought together two American players on Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Shelton and Tiafoe competing for a place in the final. The score reflected a contest that changed after Tiafoe’s early advantage, as Shelton won the second and third sets 6-3 before closing the match 7-5 in the fourth.
Shelton’s route to the final required him to recover from the 4-6 opening set. He answered with consecutive 6-3 sets, then secured the deciding fourth set by a narrower margin. The match therefore ended with Shelton winning three sets after Tiafoe had taken the first.
For Tiafoe, the semifinal marked the end of his U.S. Open campaign. His No. 11 seeding placed him against the No. 8 seed in a meeting between two domestic competitors, and the result sends Shelton forward instead.
The final will match Shelton against the tournament’s top seed. Zverev enters the championship match as No. 1, while Shelton arrives after a four-set win that lasted over three hours.
Shelton will now play for the U.S. Open title after coming through Friday’s all-American semifinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The date of the final is not specified in the available information.
Comments (0)