Ben Shelton is dedicating his 2026 US Open final appearance to the reason he played tennis in the first place.
Shelton lost his first set to fellow American Francis Tiafoe in the US Open men’s singles semifinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, N.Y. The 23-year-old then took three straight sets from his veteran opponent to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, setting up a date with No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev on Sunday for the championship.
The Atlanta-born tennis star was asked to relay what he felt in the moment after thwarting Tiafoe to make his first-ever Grand Slam final. Shelton made a special shoutout to his paternal grandmother, Regina Ann Shelton, who died in March.
“It’s a lot of emotion,” Shelton said. “My mom and dad sacrificed a lot for me to be in this position today. My dad lost his mom earlier this year. She’s the reason he was able to play tennis. Without her, there’s no Ben Shelton standing here today. This one is for her.”
Ben’s father, Bryan Shelton, was a former player on the ATP Tour who later coached collegiate programs while the younger Shelton was growing up. Bryan supported Ben in his tennis career the same way his mother did for him years ago.
Ben Shelton has shown much more maturity and poise throughout the tournament compared to years past, when more than a few fans saw him as a brash youngster. He has let his play do most of the talking in this year’s US Open thus far, with a chance to make an even bigger statement against Zverev.
