Last Friday’s historic U.S. Open semifinal matchup between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe marked the first all-Black American men’s Grand Slam semifinal in the Open Era (beginning in 1968). In a sport in which both Black men and women have been historically underrepresented and underestimated, the match highlighted Black excellence, effort, and progress in tennis.
The competitors met at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the latter named for the inimitable Arthur Ashe, the first and only Black American man to win the U.S. Open. It was serendipitously played on the 58th anniversary of Ashe’s 1968 title.
After dropping the first set, the No. 8 seed Shelton fought back to defeat the man he refers to as a “big brother,” overtaking Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, for his first career Grand Slam final. While Shelton seemed to battle nerves early in the first set, his big serve and strong double-backhand enabled him to survive Tiafoe’s aggressive play and powerful forehand.
The turning point in the match came in the third set when after 15 minutes and four set points, the 23-year-old Shelton prevailed 6-3 and Tiafoe appeared to lose steam. Both players showcased the power and skill that got them to the semifinal, but in the end, Shelton played the better match putting in 75% of his first serves, hammering in 20 aces, and hitting 47 winners; the 28-year-old Tiafoe only managed 27 winners.
With the win, Shelton became the first Black American man to advance to the U.S. Open Final since Ashe in 1972 and the first Black American man to reach any Grand Slam final since 1996.
Shelton was back at Arthur Ashe on Sunday afternoon, facing top-seeded Alexander Zverev for the U.S. Open title. The 29-year-old German continued his breakthrough season defeating Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2 to win his first U.S. Open and second major title of the year following his French Open title in June.
It was clear from the start that Zverev was on a mission. He broke Shelton in the first game, and Shelton, who won the 2022 NCAA men’s singles title at Florida playing for his father, then the Gators’ head coach, never recovered.
Zverev’s serve and precision shotmaking throughout the match kept Shelton on his toes. Shelton fought back, leaving nothing on the court with some highlight-worthy returns. While his forceful serve and athleticism were on full display, he couldn’t overcome self-inflicted mistakes and the talented Zverev.
Shelton made 11 unforced errors in the first set to Zverev’s three, and double-faulted twice on break point for Zverev. Except for a few dips in energy and some shaky serving that helped Shelton take the third set and give him and his supporters a glimmer of hope, Zverev was largely relaxed and in control throughout the match. After dropping the third set, Zverev broke right back to begin the fourth and marched on to victory.
Zverev’s win brought his career record against Shelton to 6-0 and ended Shelton’s spectacular two-week run in New York where he took out several top-tiered opponents including Carlos Alcaraz in an epic five-set quarterfinal match that ended at 3:33 a.m.
Zverev’s victory also means that the United States’ quest to end the drought for a men’s tennis Grand Slam champion continues for at least one more year.
