As we approach the U.S. Open final, which takes place Sunday in New York City, the optimism about American men’s tennis is clocking in at a level unseen since Andy Roddick won the tournament in 2003.
asserted
Roddick → approach → 2003
Ben Shelton, the big-serving southpaw who grew up in Gainesville, Florida, and won national team and singles championships at the University of Florida in 2021 and 2022, respectively, will face the event’s top seed—and the world’s No. 2-ranked player—Alexander Zverev of Germany.
asserted
who → serve → Germany
Sure, topping Zverev—the reigning French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up—is no simple task for Shelton, who’s trying to become the first American man to claim any Grand Slam tournament title since Roddick.
uncertain
who → top → Roddick
The German is 5-0 all-time against Shelton, who has taken a lone set against Zverev on tour.
asserted
who → take → tour
But let’s face it: The three American men who have reached a U.S. Open final since Roddick’s seminal victory had little chance of success against far superior opponents.
asserted
who → let → opponents
Andre Agassi’s nostalgic run to the 2005 final, in his second-to-last U.S. Open, ran into a Roger Federer rally: Federer, 20-time Grand Slam singles champ and recent inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, bested Agassi to win the second of his five straight U.S. Open crowns.
asserted
Federer → run → crowns
Roddick returned to the final in 2006.
asserted
Roddick → return → 2006
Like Agassi the year before, he managed to take a set off Federer before succumbing to his rival’s inevitable triumph.
asserted
he → manage → triumph
Two years ago, Taylor Fritz won his semifinal over fellow American Frances Tiafoe to reach the final against Jannik Sinner, who was on the cusp of winning his second major championship and cementing his status, along with Carlos Alcaraz, as the alpha dogs of their game.
asserted
who → win → game
Sinner beat Fritz in straight sets in 2024—and has since won three more Grand Slam championships.
asserted
Sinner → beat → championships
I was there the night Fritz reached that final.
asserted
Fritz → reach → final
I wrote all about it.
asserted
I → write → it
And truth be told, until Friday, I pretty much forgot about it.
asserted
I → tell → it
Bet I’m not alone.
asserted
I → bet → ?
Win or lose on Sunday, Shelton’s performance at this year’s tournament will be remembered.
asserted
performance → win → tournament
After all, he already outlasted Alcaraz, the defending U.S. Open champion and a seven-time Slam victor, in a five-set quarterfinal epic that ended at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday—the latest finish in tournament history.
asserted
that → outlast → history
Shelton won in a 10-point, fifth-set tiebreaker.
asserted
Shelton → win → tiebreaker
By defeating Tiafoe, a close friend whom he called “a big brother,” in Friday’s semifinal 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, Shelton became the first Black American man to reach a U.S. Open final since the event’s stadium namesake, Arthur Ashe, in 1972.
asserted
Shelton → defeat → 1972
Shelton’s the first Black American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final since MaliVai Washington, who lost to Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands at Wimbledon in 1996.
asserted
who → ’ → 1996
Against Tiafoe, Shelton showed the sort of mental fortitude he’ll need against Zverev.
asserted
he → show → Zverev
Shelton double-faulted late in the first set to give Tiafoe the first service break of the match.
asserted
Shelton → fault → match
Tiafoe took advantage of Shelton’s error to take the set.
asserted
Tiafoe → take → set
Shelton, however, refused to let his mishap crush him.
asserted
mishap → refuse → him
He broke Tiafoe right back to go up 2-0 in the second and eventually win that set.
asserted
He → break → set
In the third, Shelton and Tiafoe dueled in a marathon game lasting more than 15 minutes: A Tiafoe unforced error, on Shelton’s third set point, gave Shelton the set and momentum he wouldn’t relinquish.
asserted
he → duel → set
All match long, Shelton was able to extend rallies by chasing down Tiafoe’s best shots.
asserted
Shelton → extend → shots
At times he simply lobbed balls onto Tiafoe’s side of the net, almost daring his opponent to make a mistake.
asserted
he → lob → mistake
The match ended on a Tiafoe double-fault.
asserted
match → end → fault
Shelton delivered 20 aces, to Tiafoe’s three.
asserted
Shelton → deliver → three
Shelton’s energy reserves also gave him an advantage: In the fourth set, Shelton to his left and struck a full-court, diagonal winner that wowed the crowd.
asserted
that → give → crowd
American tennis fans have been thirsting for a winner on the men’s side, going on a quarter century.
asserted
fans → thirst → century
“Let’s do this for the USA,” Shelton said on court after the match, drawing cheers from a crowd that had included Serena Williams, Shonda Rhimes, Nicole Kidman, Rami Malek, and NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson.
asserted
that → do → Williams
Rodman has a 1 p.m. game in Washington on Sunday; Shelton-Zverev is slated to start at 2.
Zverev, for all his impressive play this year—he’ll be appearing in his third-straight Grand Slam final—remains a divisive figure in tennis, thanks to past allegations of domestic violence.
asserted
play → have → violence
Zverev has consistently denied the claims.
uncertain
Zverev → deny → claims
One case was settled out of court in 2024, without a finding or admission of guilt.
asserted
case → settle → guilt
In another, an ATP investigation was unable to find sufficient evidence to support the allegations.
asserted
investigation → find → allegations
He’s a convenient foil for a united American audience.
asserted
He → ’ → audience
After methodically picking apart Tiafoe, Shelton seems unbothered by past struggles against Zverev, pointing out that before the quarterfinal, he had also never beaten Alcaraz (in three tries).
asserted
he → pick → tries
“I feel that I’m a different player,” says Shelton, who last faced Zverev last November, at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.
asserted
who → feel → Turin
“I feel like I have so many more tools.
asserted
I → feel → tools
…and 9 more, not listed.
