Americans Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton advanced to the semifinals of the US Open men’s singles while making history in the process.
Both players advanced by winning epic five-set quarterfinals matches that were decided by a fifth set tiebreaker. They will meet in the semifinals on Friday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. It marks the first time two Black American men have met in a Grand Slam semifinal in the Open era.
The winner will become the first African-American to play in the finals of the US Open since Ashe, who won the title in 1968.
Tiafoe, the No. 11 seed, started the excitement in the afternoon when he staged a huge rally from two sets down to defeat fellow American Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6). It will be Tiafoe’s third appearance in the semifinals in the last five years.
Tiafoe’s heroics merely set the stage for Shelton, who defeated defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in a classic match that didn’t end until 3:30 a.m (ET). The final scores were 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6.
Tiafoe and Shelton have met three times with Shelton holding a 2-1 edge. They have split their two meetings in the US Open.