Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton With two hours to go before the start of the other semi-final, Zverev was already clear that one of them would be beyond the net and that the stadium belonged to him. “I think it’s going to be incredibly special, especially these two guys, Frances and Ben. They’re a crowd favorite here in New York, everybody loves them.”
On the other side of the net, the stakes are bigger than the cup. No American has won a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick in 2003, a gap of 23 years, and no black American has won it since Arthur Ashe in 1968. Tiafoe and Shelton were playing to end one of those droughts and have a shot at another.
Zverev is the only “Grand Slam” champion who remained as a result of the draw. He won Roland Garros this year and has now reached three straight major finals, losing Wimbledon to Yannick Sinner. He is in his sixth Grand Slam final and second at the US Open, and he spent the better part of a decade as the top player without a major before finally winning in June.
