Shelton beats Tiafoe to reach first Grand Slam final at US Open

Ben Shelton reached his first Grand Slam singles final by beating Frances Tiafoe 4-6 6-3 6-3 7-5 in their all-American US Open semi-final. BBC Sport reported that the eighth seed completed his comeback on Arthur Ashe Stadium after three hours and 17 minutes.

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Shelton hit 47 winners and 20 aces, winning 77% of points behind his first serve. After losing the opening set, he took the next two and saved two break points at the start of the fourth. The two players combined for 74 winners across the match.

Tiafoe double-faulted on the second match point to end the contest. The victory took the 23-year-old Shelton beyond the semi-finals after defeats in his previous two appearances at that stage of a major.

Both Americans had reached the last four through five-set quarter-finals. Roland-Garros' official website reported that Shelton eliminated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a match that ended at 3:33am, the latest finish in US Open history. He won the deciding tie-break 10-7 after the players had divided the opening four sets.

That win over Alcaraz was Shelton's first against a top-three opponent in 18 attempts, according to the same report. He finished the match with a 146mph ace and ended the Spaniard's 18-match winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments. The quarter-final lasted four hours and 28 minutes. Alcaraz hit 38 winners to Shelton's 34, but the Spaniard also made 53 unforced errors during the contest.

Tiafoe's route was also demanding. Roland-Garros reported that he recovered from two sets and a break down against Alex Michelsen, who served for victory at 5-4 in the third set. Tiafoe eventually won a deciding tie-break to reach his third US Open semi-final in five appearances, setting up the meeting with Shelton.

Shelton now faces top seed Alexander Zverev in Sunday's final. BBC Sport reported that Zverev beat Karen Khachanov in straight sets to reach his third consecutive Grand Slam final. Shelton has lost their five previous meetings.