NEW YORK — Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton are set to face off in the US Open semi-finals this Friday, a matchup that carries profound historical weight for the sport. The winner will become the first black man to reach a Grand Slam final since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2008 Australian Open and the first African American man to do so since MaliVai Washington at the 1996 Wimbledon championships.
The encounter serves as a symbolic passing of the torch following the career of Gaël Monfils, who recently played his final match at the US Open. Monfils, alongside Tsonga, long served as a standard-bearer for black players in the men’s game. The current rise of players like Tiafoe, Shelton, and Arthur Fils—who recently defeated Tiafoe in the Cincinnati Open final—highlights a shift in the sport's landscape, with four black players currently positioned in the ATP top 11.
For the two Americans, the stakes extend beyond the tournament bracket. Neither has reached a Grand Slam final, and both are looking to end a long drought for American men at the US Open, which has not seen a domestic winner since Andy Roddick in 2003. Shelton enters the match following a victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, while Tiafoe has reached this stage through a season defined by increased professional focus.
This meeting marks their third US Open encounter in four years. Shelton claimed victory in their 2023 quarter-final, while Tiafoe responded with a win in the third round of the 2024 tournament. Despite their close friendship, both players are expected to lean into their creative, all-court styles as they compete for a place in the final.