Ben Shelton Reaches US Open Final as Sabalenka Chases Third Title

Ben Shelton will face Alexander Zverev in the US Open final after beating Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday night. The victory put Shelton into his first Grand Slam final, with a chance to become the first American man to win a major singles title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open.

The men’s championship is scheduled for Sunday, September 13. Before then, Aryna Sabalenka will face Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s women’s final, seeking a third consecutive title in New York. Rybakina has already secured the No. 1 ranking she will take over when the next rankings are published on Monday.

Shelton follows the Alcaraz win with another comeback

Shelton lost the opening set against Tiafoe but won the next three, finishing with 20 aces and 47 winners. He landed 75 percent of his first serves, according to the tournament’s match report. In the third set, that figure rose to 82 percent.

He broke Tiafoe twice in that third set, including a 15-minute service game that ended the set. Shelton earned the decisive break in the fourth set’s final game to close out the match 7-5.

“I think I’ve grown up. I’m more mature, more focused,” Shelton said in his on-court interview, comparing his game with his previous US Open semifinal run in 2023. He described Tiafoe as “like a big brother to me.”

The win followed Shelton’s five-set quarterfinal victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, which ended at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday. The Sporting Page’s earlier match analysis examined that performance and Chris Russo’s praise for Shelton’s composure.

Zverev returns to the final as a major champion

Zverev defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(6) in Friday’s first semifinal. He returns to the US Open final six years after losing to Dominic Thiem, this time with a Grand Slam title already secured at Roland Garros. New York is his third consecutive major final.

Khachanov had opportunities to extend their semifinal. Zverev won the second-set tiebreak 9-7, then recovered from 5-2 down in the third-set breaker. Khachanov held two set points at 6-4 but lost the next four points and the match.

Zverev needed five sets in each of his opening two rounds. He goes into Sunday with a 5-0 career record against Shelton. This will be their first meeting at a Grand Slam.

Sabalenka and Rybakina meet in another major final

Sabalenka reached her fourth straight US Open final with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Jessica Pegula on Thursday. The match lasted 80 minutes. Sabalenka faced one break point and did not lose her serve, while Pegula won five of the 19 points played behind her second serve.

“I thought her level was insanely high,” Pegula said afterwards. Sabalenka broke to take the opening set after the first 11 games had gone with serve, then broke twice more in the second.

Rybakina defeated Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the other semifinal. Gauff erased a 4-1 deficit in the second set and broke back when Rybakina served for the match at 5-3 in the third. Rybakina took both sets by breaking in the 10th game.

Looking ahead to Sabalenka, Rybakina said: “It’s difficult to play with her, mentally, physically, because she has big game, big serve.”

Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 10-7. They have split their two previous Grand Slam finals: Sabalenka won the 2023 Australian Open championship match, and Rybakina won their Melbourne rematch this year.

A victory on Saturday would make Sabalenka the first woman to win three straight US Open singles titles since Serena Williams completed that run in 2014. The result will not change Rybakina’s impending move to No. 1.

Townsend and Siniakova complete the set

Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova won the women’s doubles title on Friday, beating Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery 5-7, 6-0, 6-2. The victory completed a career Grand Slam for the partnership. Siniakova had previously won all four majors with Barbora Krejcikova; Townsend had been a US Open doubles runner-up in 2022 and 2024.

When and where to watch

Women’s final: Sabalenka vs. Rybakina, Saturday, September 12, at 4 p.m. Eastern / 2 p.m. Mountain / 1 p.m. Pacific. U.S. television: ESPN, with Spanish-language coverage on ESPN Deportes.

Men’s final: Shelton vs. Zverev, Sunday, September 13, at 2 p.m. Eastern / noon Mountain / 11 a.m. Pacific. U.S. television: ABC, with a preview programme beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern. ESPN Deportes also carries the final in Spanish.

ESPN’s published coverage announcement confirms streaming of every match through the ESPN app for ESPN Unlimited subscribers. In Canada, the tournament is carried through TSN in English and RDS in French. Match times are subject to adjustment.

Earlier coverage: the 3:33 a.m. scheduling feature and Djokovic’s US Open exit.

Related: Chris Russo on Carlos Alcaraz’s all-time potential.