# Shelton is one win from ending a 23-year American drought

> Ben Shelton outserved Frances Tiafoe to reach his first major final, and only Alexander Zverev stands between him and history.
- Title: Shelton is one win from ending a 23-year American drought
- Summary: Ben Shelton outserved Frances Tiafoe to reach his first major final, and only Alexander Zverev stands between him and history. No American man has won a…
- Keywords: tennis, us open, ben shelton, alexander zverev, grand slam, news, local, Shelton, one, win, ending, 23-year
- Source: ABC7 Los Angeles — https://abc7.com/post/ben-shelton-beats-frances-tiafoe-will-play-alexander-zverev-us-open-title/19823085
- Published: 2026-09-12T11:43:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: tennis, us open, ben shelton, alexander zverev, grand slam, news, local
## Shelton makes his first final
He beat Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday night in Flushing Meadows. The No. 8 seed now faces top seed Alexander Zverev for the U.S. Open title.
## A drought since 2003
The United States has not had a men's major champion since Andy Roddick won this tournament in 2003. Shelton, 23, was less than a year old at the time.

> I'm going for it here, and I'm going to leave it all on the court.
## Zverev wants to spoil it
The German took out Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) in the first semifinal and knows exactly what he would be denying the home crowd.

> Hopefully I can not make the American dream come true on Sunday.
## Fresh off a 3:33 a.m. finish
Shelton had ousted defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday, the latest finish in U.S. Open history, and still had energy left.
## Celebrities packed the stands
Serena Williams, Jalen Brunson, Salma Hayek, Ben Stiller and Rami Malek watched, along with soccer star Trinity Rodman, Shelton's girlfriend. The crowd cheered both Americans.

> This is both of our favorite tournament in the world, our favorite court in the world.
## Tiafoe started cleaner
After a ceremony marking 25 years since 9/11, Tiafoe took the first set with just three unforced errors to Shelton's 14. A Shelton double fault at 4-4 handed over the break.
## Then the serve took over
Shelton finished with 20 aces. At 3-all in the second set he fired a 125 mph serve that knocked Tiafoe backward, then followed with 144, 139 and 140 mph.
## A 15-minute game decided it
Serving to stay in the third set, Tiafoe fought through 20 points over 15 minutes before netting a forehand. Shelton was one set from the final.
## Tiafoe is now 0-3 here
He has lost all three of his U.S. Open semifinals, the last two to fellow Americans. Taylor Fritz beat him in 2024 before losing to Jannik Sinner.

> Ben played well tonight. Served really well tonight, which made it really tough on me.
## Zverev chasing a ghost
He broke through at the French Open this year and is 24-2 in majors this season. In 2020 he led Dominic Thiem two sets to none in this final and lost in a fifth-set tiebreaker.

> Maybe this year God has said that this is going to be your year.
## Key takeaway

No American man has won a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Shelton, who was under a year old then, gets his shot Sunday.