Since Andy Roddick in 2003, Shelton, 20, is the youngest American to make it to a U.S. Open semifinal.
Previously, a U.S. Open quarterfinal match between two powerful American men might simply be referred to as “tennis,” rather than being a momentous occasion for the game in this nation.
The nation that has won the Davis Cup, a team competition between multiple nations, more often than any other nation would always host their home Grand Slam event in this manner. However, it wasn’t that way for 18 years when two young Black men, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, changed it once more on Tuesday night.
Tiafoe, the son of a tennis facility maintenance worker in a Maryland suburb, and Shelton, the son of a former top-60 tour player who later rose to prominence as a college coach, each came to it from distinct backgrounds. They have essentially become brothers over the past year as Tiafoe, a 25-year-old veteran who has emerged as one of the most well-liked players on the circuit, mentors Shelton, 20, who was playing his first professional season without a passport.
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Shelton described Tiafoe as a “great guy off the court, but on the court a nightmare to deal with” during the weekend.
Shelton, a strong left-handed player whose forehands and serves have become the talk of the tournament with speeds of 112 and nearly 150 miles per hour, respectively, was correct in his assessment.
Tiafoe had mentioned his game plan while talking about how long Ben had wanted to play him at the Open. “Make him play lots of balls, just try to make it a really tough night for him.”
Tiafoe and Shelton put on the kind of tight, tense concert that lasted past midnight and into Wednesday morning at Arthur Ashe Stadium on a thick, sticky, breezeless night that seemed to get hotter as it went on. The U.S. Open is renowned for its late-night spectacles, legendary matches that only a select few spectators can follow all the way through. On Tuesday and into Wednesday, however, Shelton and Tiafoe traded blows incessantly as the stadium remained raucous and energetic.
When it was all said and done, Shelton had won, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2
Tiafoe came off as tight and sloppy, giving up two service breaks and doing much of Shelton’s work for him. Shelton came out strong in the first set, playing like a loose, midcareer pro who had done this before.
Then, however, Tiafoe returned to form and refrained from treating the game as a testosterone-fueled hitting competition. In order to tie the game, he patiently accrued points and won games while allowing Shelton to calm down and become more focused.
The match came down to a decisive third-set tiebreaker, which he was poised to win before committing two consecutive double faults. Suddenly, Tiafoe, who had ceded control of the set a few games earlier, found himself perilously close to the edge once more.
He is expected to experience more situations like to the one that occurred next, when Tiafoe was one point away from taking a two-sets-to-one lead, barring an injury or some other catastrophe.
More Information about Ben
His racket makes a particular sound when he throws himself into a serve or a stroke the way only he and Carlos Alcaraz, the current world No. 1, can these days. It sounds more like a sledgehammer driving a spike into a railroad tie than the familiar thwop of strings striking a felt ball. The serve by Tiafoe was excellent. Shelton hammered his forehand return onto the line well inside the corner. Tiafoe hardly budged to get it.
Sometimes you simply have to close your eyes, turn off your thoughts, and swing, He remarked.
Shelton broke Tiafoe’s serve in the first game of the fourth set, and after two faults, took the set and, for all practical purposes, the match.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles winner Novak Djokovic will play next in the semifinals on Friday.
