An all-American confrontation in the US Open semi-final between Shelton and Tiafoe and Zverev faces Khachanov

Fans of the US Open are anticipating a purely American semifinal clash between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe on Friday, while top seed Alexander Zverev prepares to face Russian Karen Khachanov.

Shelton and Tiafoe will be the center of attention at Arthur Ashe Stadium after delivering thrilling victories in the quarterfinals.

Shelton, ranked eighth and higher than his opponent, secured the biggest win of his career by stunning defending champion Carlos Alcaras in a five-set thriller that ended at 3:33 a.m., marking the latest finish in the tournament’s history.

This victory marked Shelton’s first win over Alcaras, the seven-time Grand Slam champion, making him only the second American in the past two decades to defeat a top-three seed at the US Open, following Tiafoe’s defeat of Spanish legend Rafael Nadal on his way to the 2022 semifinals.

Tiafoe’s quarterfinal performance in the current edition was no less impressive, as the 11th seed put on a spectacular show in New York, mounting a stunning comeback from two sets down to defeat fellow American Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6, reaching the US Open semifinals for the third time.

The all-American matchup carries the hopes of a nation waiting for an American men’s singles Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick’s US Open title in 2003, with the winner of tomorrow’s match securing a spot in the final scheduled for Sunday.

The other semifinal features a completely different dynamic.

Zverev has advanced through the tournament with three consecutive straight-set victories since the third round, including an apparently easy win over Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinals, arriving in New York as the French Open champion. He is now the only player to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slams this season.

The top seed aims to win his second Grand Slam title after his Roland Garros victory last June, and will face Khachanov, who returns to a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time since the 2023 Australian Open.

Khachanov advanced after Belgian Alexander Bublik, who was trailing 6-2, 7-5, 3-2, retired, giving the 30-year-old a clearer path to the semifinals after his opponent suffered a series of physical issues.

The Russian has regained his best form in New York after slipping to No. 50 in the world rankings, having previously reached a career-high No. 8.

Zverev and Khachanov have met nine times before, with the German holding a 6-3 lead in their head-to-head record.

Their most notable encounter came in the Tokyo 2021 Olympic final, where Zverev won in straight sets to claim the gold medal, while their only previous Grand Slam meeting took place at Roland Garros in 2018, where Zverev came back from a set down to win in five sets.

Khachanov’s return to the US Open semifinals, four years after reaching the same stage in 2022, presents another test for Zvereff’s quest to reach the New York final for the first time since 2020, when he was one step away from the title before suffering a painful defeat to Dominic Thiem.