Ben Shelton completes feat nobody has managed in tennis since 2009 after reaching the US Open final

Many have come close since then, including Andre Agassi, Taylor Fritz and Roddick himself, but none have got over the line.

Who has surprised you the most at the US Open so far and why?

Shelton booked his place in the championship match of the 2026 US Open after coming back from a set down to defeat Frances Tiafoe, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.

The home hope will now fight for the title against Alexander Zverev, who is seeking his second major crown.

Ben Shelton matches Juan Martin del Potro in New York

Aged 23 years and 325 days at the start of the tournament, Shelton is officially the youngest player from outside of Europe to reach a Grand Slam final since Juan Martin del Potro in 2009, according to Opta Ace.

He is also the youngest American to reach a major final since Roddick at the 2005 Wimbledon Championships.

Grand Slams have been dominated by Europeans on the men’s side for the majority of this century, with just a handful of players from outside the continent reaching major finals in the last 20 years.

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Fritz and Roddick are the only other American men who have managed to reach a Grand Slam final since 2006.

Outside of both Europe and America, the likes of Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, South Africa’s Kevin Anderson and Japan’s Kei Nishikori have all captured runner-up trophies at majors within the past two decades.

Prior to making the final of this year’s US Open, Shelton had reached two Grand Slam semifinals, managing the feat at the 2023 US Open and the 2025 Australian Open.

Ben Shelton told the key to beating Alexander Zverev

Shelton’s next opponent, Zverev, leads him 5-0 in their head-to-head, with their most recent matchup coming at the 2025 ATP Finals.

Zverev has conceded just one set to Shelton across those five matches, none of which have been played at Grand Slams.

Previewing their first major encounter, Serena Williams’ old coach, Rick Macci, said on X: “Shelton has improved a lot mentally.

“He is more focused on most points and, as a result, competes better from start to finish. Backhand is a little more compact, and the rest of his game is thunder and lightning.

“He uses the entire court with rips, chips, dips and flips, and the key against Zverev will be his return game.

“If he can negate that first serve rocket, Ben the Blaster might just put a Grand Slam in his front pocket.”

Zverev, the top seed at Flushing Meadows, has not dropped a set at the US Open since the third round, having been forced to five sets in both of his first two matches.

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