US Open tennis 2026 men's semi-final: Ben Shelton defeats Frances Tiafoe in four sets - as it happened The Guardian Ben Shelton beats Frances Tiafoe to reach first US Open final ESPN US Open news: Ben Shelton to face Ale...
Shelton wins 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 to reach first major final
Zverev takes out Khachanov in straight sets to make final
Ben Shelton celebrates winning his US Open semi-final against Frances Tiafoe. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters View image in fullscreen Ben Shelton celebrates winning his US Open semi-final against Frances Tiafoe. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters Bryan Armen Graham at Flushing Meadows Fri 11 Sep 2026 23.31 EDT First published on Fri 11 Sep 2026 18.17 EDT Share Key events 1h ago Shelton wins 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5! 3h ago Shelton wins third set, 6-3! 3h ago Shelton wins second set, 6-3! 4h ago Tiafoe wins first set, 6-4! 6h ago Preamble 1h ago 23.31 EDT That's all for tonight. Thanks for following along with us and be sure to check back shortly for our full match report.
Shelton is told that while Andy Roddick remains the last American man to win the title, he will become the first Black man to play in the US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972. "It's a lot of emotion," Shelton says. "My dad, my mom have sacrificed a lot for me to be in this position today. My dad lost his mom earlier this year, and she's the reason that he was able to play tennis. Without her, there's no Ben Shelton standing here today. So this one is for her. This one is for her."
Shelton then turns his attention to Sunday and the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
"I'm going for it here," he says. "I'm gonna leave it all on the court. I hope you guys are coming back with me. Let's do this for the USA."
Before leaving the court, Shelton also acknowledged the significance of the date.
"It's a difficult day to be out here playing," he says. "My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families who were impacted by 9/11. This is one of the greatest, greatest cities in the world, and one of the biggest tragedies. Thoughts and prayers to everyone involved and affected."
View image in fullscreen Ben Shelton will play in his first grand slam final on Sunday afternoon in New York. Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP Share 1h ago 23.11 EDT "[Frances] like a big brother to me, to be honest," says Shelton in his on-court interview. "Every time that we get to take this court together, Arthur Ashe, and play each other is super special. But this is where we want to be, at the tail end of this tournament. This is both our favorite tournament in the world, our favorite court in the world, and to be able to light it up in front of you guys is the best feeling that there is."
He's asked what is different about the Ben Shelton of today compared to the one who reached his first US Open semi-final three years ago.
"I think I've grown up," he says. "I'm more mature, more focused. I know what my goal is. I know what my job is out here,and I'm 100% committed to those goals."
He continues: "It's not easy playing here on Arthur Ashe. You're playing in front of all your favorite athletes and movie stars, so to be able to keep your head down and focus for over three hours is not an easy task. I keep on looking up at the screen like, 'Oh, shoot, Jalen Brunson's here.'"
Tiafoe blinks first in a muscular 10-shot exchange and suddenly he's down love-15. He the nets a backhand on the run and it's love-30. Shelton is two points from the finish line. Tiafoe then pushes Shelton out of position but can't punish him, sending a forehand past the baseline for three match points. Shelton wastes the first, putting backhand into the net. And Tiafoe double-faults! Oh no! A terrible way to end this match. The players embrace at the net before Shelton points to his father and coach, saying: "This is our time."
View image in fullscreen Ben Shelton greets Frances Tiafoe at the net after winning their US Open semi-final on Friday. Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/AP Share Updated at 23.14 EDT 2h ago 22.54 EDT Fourth set: *Tiafoe 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 5-6 Shelton (*denotes next server)
A straightforward hold at 15 for Shelton and Tiafoe will serve to force a fourth-set tiebreaker after the change of ends.
Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via Google News US Sports.
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