Ben Shelton advances to US Open men's final against Zverev

Ben Shelton beat fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in the US Open men's semifinals on September 11, 2026, in New York. Shelton will now face top seed Alexander Zverev in the final. The match was historic because both players are Black American men. No two Black American men had ever played each other in a Grand Slam semifinal before. Shelton's win also means a Black man will compete in the US Open final for the first time since Arthur Ashe in 1972. Shelton, seeded eighth, had already knocked out defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. Zverev reached the final by defeating Karen Khachanov. Both Shelton and Tiafoe had hoped to become the first American man to win the US Open since Andy Roddick in 2003.