A first Grand Slam final for one, the third of the season for the other: Ben Shelton qualified Friday evening for the final of the US Open, where he will meet world No.2 Alexander Zverev, in search of a second coronation in 2026.
After a thunderous summer, marked by a title at the Masters 1000 in Montreal, the American Ben Shelton (9th) beat his compatriot Frances Tiafoe (12th) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on the Arthur-Ashe court, delighted with the spectacle offered by the two local players. âItâs incredible,â rejoiced Shelton after his victory, satisfied with a match where he was âcalm, confident and focused.â
Semi-finalist in 2023, the 23-year-old American considers himself âmore matureâ today, as evidenced by his incredible victory in five sets in the quarter-finals against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz (3rd) at the end of a daunting match which lasted until the end of the night.
On the court Friday evening, the two players brought energy and exhibited the extent of their talent, like Ben Shelton's 47 winning shots.
As before the first semi-final, a tribute was paid to the victims of the September 11 attacks 25 years ago. Singer JoJo, accompanied by backup singers, sang the American anthem while the honor guard of the New York police and firefighters unfurled the Stars and Stripes over Central.
Shelton cracked first by offering his bet on a double-fault in the first set. âYou have to be more aggressive on the second ball,â his father and coach Bryan Shelton told him from the box.
âItâs not easy to play on the Arthur-Ashe court, in front of all these stars. I win a point and who do I see? Jalen Brunson,â smiled Shelton after the match, greeting the leader of the New York Knicks, crowned champion and elected MVP of the NBA Finals, acclaimed by the public.
Sensational on serve (20 aces), âBig Benâ shook the stadium when the radar showed 158 mph (254 km/h), which would have constituted an absolute record on the ATP circuit. But the Hawkeye system eventually corrected to 144 mph (231 km/h).
Each point was a battle, like at 5-3 in the third set, when âBig Foeâ somehow saved three set points before folding after an interminable game of more than 15 minutes. Tiafoe never again found the fault in the face of the athletic qualities and power of the left-hander.
He is just one step away from becoming the first American to win the US Open since Andy Roddick in 2003. âI need you on Sunday. I'm going to give it my all on the court. Weâre going to do this for America,â said Ben Shelton, to the cheers of the Arthur-Ashe court. âThe work is not finished,â he then warned, saying he was realizing one of his dreams with this first Grand Slam final, the Holy Grail of world tennis.
To do this, he will have to get rid of Alexander Zverev, who will play his third consecutive Grand Slam final this season after his first Major title at Roland-Garros in June and a lost final at Wimbledon in July. âBen is just strong, a powerful guy. A monstrous serve, powerful groundstrokes. Everything he does is just impressive,â praised the German colossus (1.98 m), who won in three sets but sluggishly 6-3, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (8/6) against the Russian Karen Khachanov (50th but former 8th in the world).
He even almost let the third set slip away but saved two set points before concluding with his first match point after 2 hours 56 minutes of play. âI've been so close so many times. Maybe after all this time, God decided that this would be my year and I just had to enjoy the moment on the court,â he said after the match.
After two sluggish first rounds in five sets, âSaschaâ confirms his rise in power in this tournament with a fourth success in a row in three straight sets, just before the final.
It was in New York that he reached the final of a Major for the first time in his career, lost in 2020 after leading two sets to nothing against the Austrian Dominic Thiem. âI lacked experience. I would say I was still a young man. (Today) everything is different,â warned Zverev.
