Ben Shelton stuns Alcaraz, advances to US Open semifinal showdown with Tiafoe
Ben Shelton takes down defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller and advances to an all-American U.S. Open semifinal against Frances Tiafoe in NYC on Sept. 11.
NEW YORK — The question has followed American men’s tennis for more than two decades:
When was the last time an American man won a Grand Slam title?
The answer is Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open, and the talk of no U.S. man hoisting a championship trophy at the end of a major yet again is not only becoming repetitive, but, after a 23-year drought, it is starting to evolve into an uncomfortable norm.
Now, for the first time in years, that drought appears genuinely vulnerable.
With Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe both in the US Open semifinals, one American man is guaranteed a place in Sunday’s final. They are now two victories away from ending one of the longest championship droughts in American sports.
When was the last time an American man won a Grand Slam title?
Andy Roddick beat Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets at the 2003 US Open, picking up the only Grand Slam title of his career. More than two decades later, Roddick remains the most recent American man to capture a major singles championship.
How close have American men come since Andy Roddick?
American men haven’t been absent from the sport’s biggest stages since Roddick’s 2003 win. Roddick returned to Grand Slam finals three more times, Andre Agassi made one final run at the 2005 US Open and Taylor Fritz reached the 2024 US Open final. But none were able to end the drought.
- Andre Agassi reached the 2005 US Open final but lost to Roger Federer.
- Andy Roddick returned to the US Open final in 2006 and later reached the Wimbledon final in 2009, but lost both times to Roger Federer.
- Taylor Fritz reached the 2024 US Open final, becoming the first American man to play in a Grand Slam singles final since Roddick’s 2009 Wimbledon run, but Fritz lost to Jannik Sinner. Fritz beat Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals, the first all-American men’s Grand Slam semifinal since 2005.
Why could drought end at the 2026 US Open?
One American is guaranteed to reach final with Ben Shelton and Francis Tiafoe facing off in the semifinals. No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev plays unseeded Karen Khachanov in the other semi.
This year alone, Shelton has an ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal, and Tiafoe reached the final in Cincinnati. There are five other Americans ranked in the top 50, including Taylor Fritz and Learner Tien, and all of them are under the age of 30.
While speculation has run rampant about the obvious struggles Americans face in getting over the hump and the reasons why, there are at least some in the industry who think this is the year all that talk gets set aside.
“I’m picking Big Ben. I’m going for it. I like Shelton to win the Open. I can stop getting this question after 20-some years: When is the next American going to win a major? I’m sick of it! I’m tired of it,” ESPN tennis analyst Patrick McEnroe said to SportsBoom going into the US Open.
What Frances Tiafoe said about ending the drought
Tiafoe reiterated before this year’s tournament that it doesn’t matter who is playing; you still have to beat seven players to win a trophy, and all he is thinking about is beating the guy in front of him. And any time Andy Roddick, an International Tennis Hall of Famer, is mentioned, athletes know exactly where the topic is headed during interviews.
“I mean it’s gonna be a conversation until someone does something about it, right? Obviously, we are, and we’re getting the best effort,” Tiafoe told USA TODAY Sports. “It is what it is. Andy did what he did a few years ago. But I think we’ve been knocking on the door. It’s gonna be interesting. We all have high hopes for it. We all think we can. And I really think this group (Shelton, Fritz, himself) is gonna be the group to do it.”
Tiafoe has been on quite a roll, despite right-hand surgery earlier this month and some newly admitted hip problems. But the 28-year-old three-time US Open semifinalist firmly believes that the bad streak is ending soon.
“And I think a bunch of us can at least get one or two by the time it’s all said and done, if not, north of that. But yeah, hell yeah, I believe it,” said Tiafoe, who lost in the third round last year.
What Ben Shelton said about American men’s tennis
Shelton agrees with Frances Tiafoe on taking the tournament one match at a time, but he wasn’t exactly in the mood to hear any perceived disrespect about how the American men have been performing.
“I think to kind of discredit the group that is playing high-level tennis right now wouldn’t be smart,” said Shelton, who scored an extremely impressive five-set win against Carlos Alcaraz in a marathon match Tuesday night. “Going into a tournament like this, I think I always have respect for whoever is playing. I try not to over-respect my opponents, obviously. But I think it is a very important part of who I am as a person and how I look at my tennis game and the tournaments I’m playing in.”