Ben Shelton won the all-American duel with Frances Tiafoe and now he’s the one who can end his country’s long wait for another men’s Grand Slam champion.
The No. Open. “I hope you guys come and back me. Let’s do it for the USA. Shelton and Tiafoe treated the fans to a good show, after both had to come through match tiebreakers in the previous round. “This is both of our favorite tournament in the world, our favorite court in the world and to be able to light it up in front of (this crowd) is the best feeling that there is. Zverev , who had long been considered the best men’s player without a major, finally broke through at the French Open this year.
8-seeded Shelton had plenty of energy left after ousting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a quarterfinal match that ended Wednesday at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish ever at the U.S. Shelton, a 23-year-old from Georgia who was less than a year old when Roddick won his title, advanced to his first major final. The German followed by reaching the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Sinner, and is 24-2 in Grand Slam matches this season.
“I’m going for it here, and I’m going to leave it all on the court,” Shelton said. “Hopefully I can not make the American dream come true on Sunday,” Zverev said. “This is where we want to be: at the tail end of this tournament,” Shelton said.
The pivotal moment in the match came in the final game of the third set, when Tiafoe was desperately trying to hold serve. The game lasted 15 minutes and 20 points before Tiafoe put a forehand into the net to end it and move Shelton a set away from the title.
The Shelton-Tiafoe match drew a star-studded crowd that included stars from sports, including Serena Williams, Jalen Brunson and of course U.S. soccer player Trinity Rodman, Shelton’s girlfriend; and actors Salma Hayek, Ben Stiller and Rami Malek.
