The all-American semifinal between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe had already given the Arthur Ashe crowd plenty to react to. But things took another turn when the chair umpire appeared to make a harsh call at a crucial point in the match. The crowd was then left watching as Shelton walked over to the chair to question the decision.

In the final set, Tiafoe had the advantage at deuce, leaving Shelton staring at another tense break-point moment once again. Then Shelton fired a rocket; Tiafoe answered with a casual backhand slice that floated long. But before anyone could react, Tourte stopped play and explained Tiafoe had raised his hand.

That was enough for the American to walk straight toward the chair and question the call. He asked, “Why did you not say something then? How you gonna pull it after and then not say, ‘Oh yeah?’ You gotta say something immediately.”

In response, Tourte explained that Tiafoe had already apologized before serving, so the point was replayed.

Notably, Shelton’s issue appeared to be the delay because Tourte waited until the ball landed. With the crowd watching closely, Shelton kept his composure and eventually held serve under pressure.

What made Shelton’s win against Tiafoe impressive was his powerful serve and forehand, keeping Frances Tiafoe under pressure from the first set. However, Tiafoe found his opening at 4-4 in the 1st set, breaking after Shelton made 3 errors and double-faulted. But that setback barely told the story of what was coming next.

The second set changed everything, as Ben Shelton suddenly looked calmer and started dictating almost every exchange. His serve became more reliable, his forehand found more pace, and his backhand gave Tiafoe fewer openings.

At 4-3, Shelton survived a 17-shot rally before attacking his way into the lead. From there, Tiafoe struggled to find the same freedom that carried him through the opening set.

Shelton carried that control into the third set, making Tiafoe fight through longer points.

At 2-2, a 28-shot rally ended when Tiafoe missed after trying a drop shot against Shelton. Later, Tiafoe faced 7 deuces at 3-5 before another error finally handed Shelton the set. Other than one moment of frustration, Ben Shelton kept his emotions from disturbing the tennis.

The fourth set gave Tiafoe another chance, but Shelton never allowed the match to slip away. At 5-6, Shelton ripped 2 backhands that Tiafoe missed, giving him 3 match points. Tiafoe saved the first, but Shelton finished the next opportunity and reached his first Grand Slam final.

Now, Alexander Zverev awaits him in Sunday’s US Open final.

Alexander Zverev can’t wait to derail the hopes of fans at the US Open final

The US Open final is set, with Alexander Zverev facing Ben Shelton under New York’s bright lights. Zverev had already beaten Karen Khachanov before Shelton defeated Frances Tiafoe to reach his first major final.

But after his semifinal, Sascha made it clear that he wants to stop America’s celebration. “Hopefully, I can not make the American dream come true on Sunday!”

What makes Zverev’s confidence interesting is how much he has already fought through. He battled 5 sets against Lorenzo Sonego before surviving another five-set battle against Quentin Halys. Since then, the German has won 4 straight matches without dropping another set at Flushing Meadows. Against Khachanov, he trailed 5-2 in the third-set tiebreak before winning 5 straight points.

That comeback added another tense moment to a tournament where Zverev has already faced plenty. After beating Halys, the 2026 Roland Garros champion admitted that even his own team was laughing at his level.

“After the second round at 3 am, I was sitting with my team in the locker room; we were actually laughing our a— off about how bad I was playing. That sense of humor helped me.”

From there, his form changed, and the German has not looked back since.

Now Ben Shelton stands between Zverev and another major title after beating Tiafoe in 4 sets. Zverev has reached his 6th Grand Slam final, carrying a 1-4 record into Sunday’s match. He already won the French Open this year, giving him another chance to improve that record.