Ben Shelton, the big-serving southpaw who grew up in Gainesville, Florida, and won national team and singles championships at the University of Florida in 2021 and 2022, respectively, will face the event’s top seed—and the world’s No. 2-ranked player—Alexander Zverev of Germany.
But let’s face it: The three American men who have reached a U.S. Open final since Roddick’s seminal victory had little chance of success against far superior opponents. Andre Agassi’s nostalgic run to the 2005 final, in his second-to-last U.S. Open, ran into a Roger Federer rally: Federer, 20-time Grand Slam singles champ and recent inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, bested Agassi to win the second of his five straight U.S. Open crowns.
Two years ago, Taylor Fritz won his semifinal over fellow American Frances Tiafoe to reach the final against Jannik Sinner, who was on the cusp of winning his second major championship and cementing his status, along with Carlos Alcaraz, as the alpha dogs of their game. Sinner beat Fritz in straight sets in 2024—and has since won three more Grand Slam championships.
Bet I’m not alone.
By defeating Tiafoe, a close friend whom he called “a big brother,” in Friday’s semifinal 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, Shelton became the first Black American man to reach a U.S. Open final since the event’s stadium namesake, Arthur Ashe, in 1972. Shelton’s the first Black American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final since MaliVai Washington, who lost to Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands at Wimbledon in 1996.
All match long, Shelton was able to extend rallies by chasing down Tiafoe’s best shots. At times he simply lobbed balls onto Tiafoe’s side of the net, almost daring his opponent to make a mistake. The match ended on a Tiafoe double-fault. Shelton delivered 20 aces, to Tiafoe’s three. Shelton’s energy reserves also gave him an advantage: In the fourth set, Shelton to his left and struck a full-court, diagonal winner that wowed the crowd.
“Let’s do this for the USA,” Shelton said on court after the match, drawing cheers from a crowd that had included Serena Williams, Shonda Rhimes, Nicole Kidman, Rami Malek, and NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson. Also in attendance was Shelton’s girlfriend, soccer star Trinity Rodman. Rodman has a 1 p.m. game in Washington on Sunday; Shelton-Zverev is slated to start at 2.
He’s a convenient foil for a united American audience.
A reporter noted that a lot is riding on Sunday. “Is there?” Shelton responded, with a laugh.
“At the end of the day, I'm here in New York, I'm hanging out with my team, I'm with my homies playing a little bit of tennis,” he says. “Confidence and belief take over.”
He’ll need it. He has it. A chance at making history lies ahead.
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