Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe delivered on a dramatic day of tennis at the US Open, which finally concluded in the early hours of Wednesday morning when Shelton blasted an ace out wide to end the challenge of 2025 champion Carlos Alcaraz in a fifth-set tie-break.
Following the pair’s dramatic victories, ATPTour.com looks at five facts from their runs in New York so far.
Shelton, Tiafoe set for all-American semi-final
Shelton and Tiafoe set just the third all-American men’s singles semi-final at a major this century after both earned dramatic five-set quarter-final victories on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Taylor Fritz defeated countryman Tiafoe in the 2024 US Open semi-finals to reach his first major final. Before that, you have to go back to 2005, when Andre Agassi downed Robby Ginepri in New York, for the previous all-American men’s semi-final at this level.
Shelton ends Top-3 drought on 18th attempt
Shelton entered his Head2Head clash with Alcaraz with a 0-17 record against Top-3 opponents, including an 0-3 mark against the Spaniard. But the 23-year-old rallied after dropping the opening set to defeat Alcaraz 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) and claim his first Top-3 victory.
Shelton is also just the second American man in the past 20 years to earn a Top-3 win at the US Open. The lefty joins Tiafoe, who defeated Rafael Nadal in four sets en route to the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows in 2022.
Read more from New York
Shelton upsets Alcaraz in record late-night QF thriller
Shelton after sinking Alcaraz: ‘Just enjoyable to be part of that match’
Tiafoe rallies from brink to edge Michelsen in five sets
Michelsen & Tiafoe share most emotional moment of the tournament
Shelton and Tiafoe lead the American charge
Shelton and Tiafoe have now reached more major semi-finals than any other active American, with three. Fritz is next with two, but remains the only active American man to have reached a major final. That will change on Friday, when Shelton and Tiafoe – who has recorded a tour-leading 26 hard-court wins in 2026 – meet in the last four.
Among players born in the 2000s, only Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, with 10 major semi-final appearances apiece, have reached the stage more often than Shelton. The 23-year-old is a two-time US Open Shelton (born 2002) semi-finalist, having also reached the last four in 2023, and he advanced to the Australian Open semi-finals in 2025.
All three of Tiafoe’s major semi-final appearances have come at the US Open, in 2022, 2024 and 2026. The 28-year-old was born in the 1990s.
Both climbing in the PIF ATP Live Rankings
Shelton and Tiafoe have both surged in the PIF ATP Live Rankings during their runs in New York.
Shelton, who previously reached a career-high No. 5 in November 2025, has risen five places to No. 4 in the Live Rankings after advancing to his second US Open semi-final. Tiafoe has climbed four spots to No. 8 and is guaranteed to leave New York at a new career high, surpassing his previous best of No. 10, which he reached in June 2023.
Should Tiafoe win his maiden major title on Sunday, he would leapfrog Shelton and rise to No. 4.
Shelton-Alcaraz sets latest finish in US Open history
Shelton and Alcaraz embraced on Arthur Ashe Stadium at 3:33 a.m. in New York, making Tuesday night’s conclusion the latest finish in US Open history by 43 minutes.
The previous record also involved Alcaraz. The Spaniard saved a match point before defeating Jannik Sinner in five sets in the 2022 US Open quarter-finals, with that match finishing at 2:50 a.m.
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