Ben Shelton had a lot to celebrate following his quarterfinal win at the US Open on Tuesday night. The 20-year-old dispatched fellow American Frances Tiafoe in four sets at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York to advance to the semifinal round.
After winning the match, Shelton whipped out an imaginary phone and slammed it down as he pretended to hang it up.
The semifinals are calling, Ben Shelton! pic.twitter.com/1jI9JimZcU
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2023
The phone celebration isn’t new to Shelton. It has been one of his go-to celebrations in the past. He even influenced his US Open mixed doubles partner Taylor Townsend to get in on the act as well.
I’m sorry, but the old Taylor and Ben can’t come to the phone right now☎️
Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend in their Reputation eras🖤 pic.twitter.com/AlWNIM4erP
— USTA (@usta) September 2, 2023
Shelton’s rendition after beating Tiafoe, however, felt like it was delivered with a little more gusto — and for good reason. Shelton became the youngest American male to reach the US Open semifinals since 20-year-old Michael Chang made it in 1992.
Shelton has a serious challenge ahead of him if he hopes to answer his imaginary phone in the semifinals. 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic awaits Shelton in the penultimate round on Friday.
