One of the brightest US tennis stars erased a set deficit in the second men’s singles semifinal and defeated compatriot Frances Tiafoe (ATP-12) with a score of 4:6, 6:3, 6:3, 7:5 to reach his first career Grand Slam final.
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B. Shelton became only the 13th American in the Open Era to march to a Grand Slam final. A few seasons ago, Taylor Fritz did the same in New York, but before that, the last finalist was Andy Roddick in 2009.
The United States has been waiting for its Grand Slam champion for more than 20 years – Andy Roddick’s triumph in New York in 2003 remains the last one.
Only 23 years old, B. Shelton stormed into the US Open final – one of the left-handed player’s monstrous serves flew at 158 miles per hour (254 km/h), which is the fastest serve in Grand Slam tournament history.
However, official record confirmation will still have to wait, as ESPN reports the serve actually flew at 144 miles per hour.
“I will really need your support on Sunday,” Shelton addressed the audience. “I will go all the way and leave everything on the court. I hope you will back me up. Let’s do this for the United States!”
F. Tiafoe reached all three of his career Grand Slam semifinals in New York but still remains without a final appearance.
The youngest American US Open finalist since A. Roddick, B. Shelton will face an opponent in the final he has yet to beat – German tennis powerhouse Alexander Zverev (ATP-2).
The latter is confidently ahead in their head-to-head matches with a 5:0 record, but the players have never faced each other in a Grand Slam tournament.
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The men’s singles final will take place on Sunday at 9 PM Lithuanian time.
