Big-serving Ben Shelton overpowered American compatriot Francis Tiafoe in four sets to reach the first Grand Slam final of his career at the US Open on Friday. A pulsating all-American semi-final had seen both players vying to reach a Grand Slam final for the first time. Eighth-seeded Shelton blasted 20 aces on his way to a thrilling 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court that sends the 23-year-old into Sunday’s championship match against top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany.
Yet with Tiafoe’s serve increasingly erratic, Shelton grabbed another break in the eighth game to go 5-3 up and then held to level. However Shelton – who had one serve initially clocked at 158mph before it was later adjusted to 144mph — made no mistake in the fifth game with a break to go 3-2 up.
Shelton Secures Victory with Key Break in Fourth Set
Frances Tiafoe faced a challenging ninth game, needing to hold serve to stay in the set. Despite a fierce contest, the 11th seed successfully saved three break and set points. However, the fourth set remained on serve until the crucial 12th game, where Ben Shelton seized the opportunity to break Tiafoe and clinch the match.
