Key EventsFirst Set: *Tiafoe 1-2 Shelton (*denotes next server) Shortly after hitting his first ace of the night, 123 mph up the middle, Shelton faces his first pressure point of the night at 30-30 all out. He then makes an unforced error with the backhand for 30-40 and will face his first break point, but from there he scores three quick points to escape with control. It’s a beautiful night here in Queens: 76F (24C) with a light breeze. ShareFirst set: *Tiafoe 0-1 Shelton (*indicates next server)Shelton holds at 15, winning four of five first serves. It should be noted how focused this audience is tonight. None of the ambient noises of non-stop conversations were so used to being heard here. Share The players have finished their warm-up. Shelton has chosen to serve first. We should be on our way any minute. There is barely an empty seat in the 23,771-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium. Before the players walk out tonight, Arthur Ashe Stadium pauses to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. A pre-match ceremony pays tribute to the nearly 3,000 people killed, their families and first responders. After a moment of silence, artist JoJo performs the United States national anthem. JoJo performs the national anthem during the pre-game ceremony. Photograph: Frank Franklin II/APArthur Ashe Stadium observed a moment of silence on Friday night to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/APShare Updated at 00.37 BST Shelton is attempting to become the youngest American to reach a US Open final since Andy Roddick won the title here aged 21 in 2003. The 23-year-old has been remarkably efficient in reaching the end of tournaments this season – he has reached four previous semi-finals (Dallas, Munich, Stuttgart and Montreal) and won the title in all of them. the occasions. Those trophies also made him the first American since Sam Querrey in 2010 to win Tour titles on hard dirt, clay and grass in the same season. Tonight they will play five finals in five semifinals. The sun sets over the Manhattan skyline, with One World Trade Center in the center, before the US Open men’s semifinal between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/APShare Updated at 00.30 BST If tonight’s match turns into another war of attrition, both men looked experienced for the task. Tiafoe has already spent 16 hours and 3 minutes on court in five matches, the fourth-longest trip to a US Open semifinal since the ATP began recording match times in 1991. Shelton is only slightly fresher at 15 hours and 41 minutes. Tiafoe has played 19 sets and Shelton 20, and both reached the quarterfinals in five sets. The difference is due to literal mileage: Shelton has covered 44,143 feet during the tournament, compared to Tiafoe’s 39,472 feet. A strong US Open for American juniors heads into the final weekend, with four American players, two boys and two girls, taking part in the championship matches on Saturday. He will face Brazilian Luis Guto Miguel, world junior number one and top seed, for the singles title before teaming up with fellow American Tanishk Konduri, also 17, against France’s Aaron Gabet and Spain’s Valentin González-Galino in the doubles final. Latak is bidding to become the first American to sweep the singles and doubles titles at a grand slam since Robin Montgomery did so at the 2021 US Open. On the women’s side, California sisters Kristina and Annika Penickova, ages 17 and 16 respectively, reached the doubles final, where they will face Polina Berezina and Alisa Terentyeva. The four junior finals are scheduled for Saturday. Marcel Latak returns a shot against Safir Azam during the men’s singles semifinal at the US Open on Friday. Photograph: Rhea Nall/USTA/Getty ImagesSharePreambleHello and welcome to Arthur Ashe Stadium for tonight’s US Open men’s semi-final between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton. For the third time in four years, the two friends and crowd favorites will reunite in Flushing Meadows. Shelton won his first match in New York, beating Tiafoe in four sets in the 2023 quarterfinals on his way to a big semifinal appearance at age 20. Tiafoe responded 12 months later, coming back from two sets to one down to win a five-set thriller in the third round. Shelton leads their overall series 3-1, including a straight-sets victory in Washington last summer. Tonight’s game is considerably bigger. The winner will become the first black American man to reach the US Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972 and the first to reach a Grand Slam singles final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996. He will also become the fifth American man this century to reach the final in New York, after Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Taylor Fritz. Both men arrive after extraordinary five-set quarterfinals. Tiafoe somehow escaped Alex Michelsen after trailing by two sets, losing a break in the third and then trailing 3-0 in the fifth. His 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory put him in his third US Open semifinal in five years, tying Agassi for the most by an American this century. Shelton’s route was even more spectacular. The 23-year-old defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7) in a late-night classic that ended at 3:33 a.m., ending the Spaniard’s 18-match winning streak at the Grand Slam level and securing his first win over a top-three opponent after starting his career 0-17 against them. Sunday’s final against Alexander Zverev with a chance to end the country’s 23-year wait for a major men’s champion. The first dance will not be at 7 pm local time as scheduled, as Ashe switches to the separately ticketed evening session. We’ll update you with an approximate start time as we hear. ShareBryan will be here shortly. Meanwhile, here is Tumaini Carayol’s preview for tonight’s match.
