Power collides with personality in an all-American matchup pitting 11th-seeded Frances Tiafoe agains eighth-seeded Ben Shelton, a seismic battle that puts the winner on the verge of history in New York.
Hours after to punch his ticket into the semis.
Tiafoe vs. Shelton means an American man will appear in a grand slam final for the first time since Taylor Fritz reached the 2024 US Open championship match. The larger drought remains -- no American man has won a major singles title since Andy Roddick captured the US Open in 2003.
Given how long each player was on court in the quarterfinals, the athlete who musters enough energy and feeds off the crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium likely prevails.
"It's incredible," Shelton said after his four-hour and 28-minute marathon with Alcaraz ended at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday. "I always say (New York) is the greatest sports city in the world, I say that this is the greatest stadium in the world. I'm just hoping that my best friend and my sister over there don't have to be at work at 6 a.m. in three hours. "
Tiafoe trailed two sets to love and 3-0 in the fifth set to fellow American Alex Michelsen, who hadn't dropped a set this tournament before Tuesday's quarterfinals.
"It wasn't good, let's put it that way. It wasn't good," Tiafoe said of his slow start to the match. "Three out of five is a blessing, because you have time to get it together. I definitely waited for the last minute. "
Tiafoe joined Andre Agassi as the only American men to reach three US Open semifinals this century. His trek into the semifinals means he'll be ranked inside the top-10 for the first time in three years once the rankings update after this grand slam.
Contrasting styles for Tiafoe, Shelton
The righty-lefty showdown features one incredible tactician against a hard-hitting serve machine of the highest power. Everything starts for Shelton with a serve that's nearly unreturnable when he's in rhythm.He brings overwhelming velocity and athleticism in every match, including several head-turning winners against Alcaraz during rallies that should've ended several shots prior. Tiafoe's a more calculated player, whose serve can be a weapon at times, but doesn't reach the speeds of his adversary.
One of the best shotmakers on tour, Tiafoe's two-handed backhand is lethal when it's on and he's a difficult player to pass at the net. He plays an unpredictable game without patterns and his game has reached a new level in 2026.
Expect tennis theater when these two battle for the fifth time together and first at a major since Tiafoe won in five sets at the 2024 US Open. Holding serve will be critical for both players and when break point opportunities arise, that's where the semifinal will be decided.
Grand slam semifinals history
| Ben Shelton | Frances Tiafoe | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | N/A | US Open (lost to Carlos Alcaraz) |
| 2023 | US Open (lost to Novak Djokovic) | N/A |
| 2024 | N/A | US Open (lost to Taylor Fritz) |
| 2025 | Australian Open (lost to Jannik Sinner) | N/A |
| 2026 | US Open (result TBD) | US Open (result TBD) |
No. 1 Alexander Zverev still remains in the field. The French Open champion who made the finals at Wimbledon in June will play Karen Khachanov in Friday's other semifinal.
Tiafoe and Shelton will each get extra time off Thursday in prep for their showdown.
"I'm tired," Shelton said after finishing off Alcaraz with a 146 MPH ace early Wednesday. "That was a war, [an] epic match, so physical. Carlos is one of the greatest champions in our sport, already at 23 years old. It's always fun being on the court against him. Ridiculous stuff he comes up with sometimes, but yeah, the most enjoyable match that I've had in my career for sure. "
