An American man is officially locked in for Sunday’s US Open men’s final, and yeah, that’s a massive deal. We haven’t seen an American guy in a Grand Slam final since Taylor Fritz in 2024. But the real beast, the major singles title, that hasn’t happened for an American since Andy Roddick snagged the US Open way back in 2003. Now, eighth-seeded Ben Shelton and 11th-seeded Frances Tiafoe are squaring off in an all-American semifinal this Friday, and one of them is playing for a chance to break that nearly two-decade-long drought.
Battle of the Marathon Men
Both Shelton and Tiafoe clawed their way into the semis with absolutely epic five-set quarterfinal victories. Shelton pulled off a straight-up “Houdini act” against Carlos Alcaraz, winning in a brutal fifth-set tiebreaker. That match was a marathon, clocking in at 4 hours and 28 minutes, and didn’t even wrap up until 3:33 a.m. Wednesday. Wild! Tiafoe had his own insane comeback, down two sets to love and 3-0 in the fifth against Alex Michelsen, who hadn’t dropped a single set all tournament. Tiafoe admitted his slow start “wasn’t good, let’s put it that way. It wasn’t good,” but also added, “Three out of five is a blessing, because you have time to get it together. I definitely waited for the last minute.” Shelton, buzzing after his late-night triumph, called New York the “greatest sports city in the world” and the stadium the “greatest stadium in the world,” jokingly hoping his friend and sister didn’t have to be at work at 6 a.m. after watching him.
Power vs. Calculated Genius
This Friday’s semifinal is their fifth time facing each other, but their first at a major, and it’s a clash of wildly different styles. Shelton is the righty power hitter, a serve machine with overwhelming velocity that’s “nearly unreturnable” when he’s on. His athleticism allows him to blast “head-turning winners” even from deep in rallies. Tiafoe, on the other hand, is a more calculated tactician. His serve is a weapon, but it doesn’t quite hit Shelton’s speeds. He’s one of the best shotmakers on tour, with a lethal two-handed backhand, an unpredictable game without patterns, and he’s super tough to pass at the net. His game has truly “reached a new level in 2026.” Tiafoe’s also making history, joining Andre Agassi as the only American men this century to reach three US Open semifinals, and he’s set to crack the top-10 rankings for the first time in three years after this Grand Slam.
With both players fresh off such draining quarterfinal matches, whoever can dig deep, muster the most energy, and feed off that Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd is probably taking this one. This isn’t just another semifinal; it’s a straight-up shot at history, and it all goes down Friday. You won’t wanna miss it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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