Robert Griffin III toasts ‘my guy’ Ben Shelton for huge US Open win over Frances Tiafoe
Robert Griffin III framed Ben Shelton’s win in terms that stretch far past the tennis court, and the numbers back him up.
Robert Griffin III wasted no time celebrating Ben Shelton’s breakthrough on Friday night. The former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner took to social media shortly after Shelton advanced to his first Grand Slam final, framing the achievement around the history that came with it.
“Congrats to my guy Ben Shelton,” Griffin wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Ben Shelton is the 1st Black American man since Arthur Ashe in 1972 to reach a US Open singles final. Ben Shelton is the 1st Black American man since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996 to reach a Grand Slam singles final. His time is now.”
Both milestones check out. Ashe won the inaugural US Open in 1968 and returned to the final in 1972, and no Black American man had reached that stage in Flushing Meadows in the 54 years since. Washington’s run to the 1996 Wimbledon final, where he lost to Richard Krajicek, stood as the last time a Black American man reached any Grand Slam final until Friday night.
Shelton got there by outlasting good friend and fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 at Arthur Ashe Stadium. After a rough opening set that included 14 unforced errors, the No. 8 seed found his rhythm on serve, finishing with 20 aces and 47 winners. The decisive stretch came in a grueling 19-point game to break Tiafoe and close out the third set, and Tiafoe could not recover from there.
The run has been building all week. Shelton knocked off defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in tournament history, and he is already guaranteed to climb to No. 4 in the world after entering the tournament ranked ninth. He dedicated Friday’s win to his grandmother, who died earlier this year and who he credited with introducing his father and coach Bryan to tennis.
Now Shelton faces top seed Alexander Zverev with a chance to end a 23-year drought for American men at the majors, dating back to Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open title. Zverev holds a perfect 5-0 record against him and has won the past 10 sets between them, though the two have never met at a Grand Slam. Griffin, for his part, seems convinced the moment has arrived.
Robert Griffin III wasted no time celebrating Ben Shelton’s breakthrough on Friday night. The former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner took to social media shortly after Shelton advanced to his first Grand Slam final, framing the achievement around the history that came with it.