Shelton, Tiafoe Set 2026 US Open All-American Semifinal After 5-Set Wins

Q: After surviving a historic 3:30 a.m. marathon, can Shelton overcome exhaustion to break a 50-year American tennis drought?

Yes — Shelton can, but recovery will be the decisive factor. The encouraging part for Shelton is that his semifinal is not until Friday, giving him more than a day to reset after the 3:33 a.m. finish. In tennis terms, that is not ideal, but it is enough time for a 23-year-old with his physical profile to recover if there is no injury. His win over Carlos Alcaraz also suggested he still had enough explosiveness late, closing the match in a deciding super tiebreak with 146 mph serving and strong movement. There are real reasons for caution. Former players and current stars have warned that these overnight finishes disrupt sleep, meals, treatment and training routines. Shelton himself called the match “a war,” and recovery does not begin when the handshake happens; players still have cooldown, media duties and nutrition afterward. That can leave the body and mind flat two days later. The matchup with Frances Tiafoe is also not simple. Tiafoe had his own nearly five-hour quarterfinal, but he finished earlier and has extensive semifinal experience at Flushing Meadows. Shelton does lead their head-to-head 3-1 and beat Tiafoe at the 2023 U.S. Open, which is a meaningful edge. If Shelton manages the turnaround, he has a genuine opening not only to reach the final but to push toward ending the long American men’s major drought, which dates to Andy Roddick’s 2003 U.S. Open title. The marathon has made his path harder, not impossible.

3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Sep 9

Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe advanced through marathon quarterfinals, ensuring an American man will reach Sunday’s 2026 US Open final.
Nearly 5 hours after falling two sets down, Tiafoe beat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(10-6), before Shelton upset defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7).
3:30 a.m. marked the end of Shelton’s win — the latest finish in US Open history — and set up Friday’s semifinal between the No. 8 seed and No. 11 seed Tiafoe.
The winner will become the first Black American man to reach a US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, while the last American man to win the tournament was Andy Roddick in 2003.