Ben Shelton does it! First Black American man in US Open final since '72
(Courtesy :Â Instagram/@benshelton)
Shelton defeated Frances Tiafoe to reach the final
Ben Shelton walked out of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night, having rewritten a piece of tennis history untouched for more than half a century.
The 23-year-old beat friend and compatriot Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in three hours and 17 minutes to reach his maiden Grand Slam final, becoming the first Black American man to reach the US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, a wait of 54 years.
Shelton, the eighth seed, hit 20 aces and struck 47 of the match’s 74 winners, winning 77 per cent of first-serve points and 62 per cent on Tiafoe’s second serve.
Tiafoe broke for a 5-4 first-set lead after a Shelton double fault, but the latter broke back to level the match in the second set, then survived a tense third set to move two sets to one up. In the fourth, Shelton reached triple match point at 6-5, missed the first, then watched Tiafoe double-fault to end it.
How Shelton’s win ends a 54-year wait since Arthur Ashe?
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Ashe remains the only Black American man to win a Grand Slam singles title, doing so at the 1968 US Open by beating the Netherlands’ Tom Okker, also the first Black man from any country to win a major.
He added the 1970 Australian Open and 1975 Wimbledon before his last US Open final in 1972, a five-set loss to Romania’s Ilie Nastase. No Black American man reached the US Open final again until Shelton’s win over Tiafoe.
Outside the US, the last Black man to reach a Grand Slam singles final was France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who lost to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the 2008 Australian Open final.
The last Black man to win a Grand Slam singles title remains France’s Yannick Noah, who beat Sweden’s Mats Wilander at the 1983 French Open.
Shelton faces top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany, who beat Russia’s Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (8-6) to reach his third straight Grand Slam final, in Sunday’s title match.
He also aims to become the first American man to win the US Open since Andy Roddick in 2003, despite losing all five previous meetings with Zverev.
Who did Ben Shelton beat to reach the US Open final, and by what score?
He beat Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in three hours and 17 minutes
How long has it been since a Black American man last reached the US Open final before Ben Shelton?
54 years. The last Black American man to reach the US Open final before Shelton was Arthur Ashe in 1972.
Who will Ben Shelton face in the US Open 2026 final?
He faces top seed Alexander Zverev, who beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (8-6). Shelton is also aiming to become the first American man to win the US Open since Andy Roddick in 2003.
Who was the last Black American to reach the US Open final?
The last Black American man to reach the US Open final before Shelton was Arthur Ashe in 1972.
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