Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe will meet in an all-American US Open men’s semi-final on Friday, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s championship match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Shelton, the eighth seed, reached the final four by defeating defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 6–7(5), 6–1, 6–3, 1–6, 7–6(7) in a quarter-final that lasted four hours and 28 minutes.
The match finished at 3:33 a.m. in New York, making it the latest conclusion in US Open history. It was Shelton’s first victory over Alcaraz and his first win against a player ranked inside the world’s top three.
Tiafoe secured his semi-final place with another five-set comeback, defeating fellow American Alex Michelsen 5–7, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, 7–6(10–6).
The 11th seed recovered after losing the opening two sets to reach his third US Open semi-final. He previously advanced to the same stage in 2022 and 2024.
Shelton and Tiafoe have met twice before at the US Open. Shelton won their 2023 quarter-final in four sets, while Tiafoe prevailed in five sets when they met in the third round the following year.
Friday’s match will be the first Grand Slam semi-final in the Open Era contested by two Black American men. The winner will join Arthur Ashe and MaliVai Washington among the Black American men to have reached a Grand Slam singles final.
The semi-final also guarantees the United States a representative in the men’s championship match. No American man has won a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick captured the US Open in 2003.
Top seed Alexander Zverev will face Karen Khachanov in the other men’s semi-final. Zverev is seeking his second major title, while Khachanov is appearing in his first Grand Slam semi-final since the 2023 Australian Open.