The eighth seed American rallied past fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday to reach his first major final in New York. No American man has won a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick triumphed in Flushing Meadows in 2003.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Shelton will now have a chance to claim his maiden major crown and end a 23-year wait for American men\u2019s tennis Sunday, when he takes on top seed Alexander Zverev for the title.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Reflected on qualifying for the US Open Final after beating fellow American Tiafoe, Shelton said on JioStar, \"Really happy to close it out the way I did in four sets. I definitely didn\u2019t want to have five sets on my body going into the finals, but I thought I played a clean match. Tiafoe also played outstandingly and pushed me in so many ways. So, to be able to get through that one and win three sets in a row after dropping the first, I couldn\u2019t be happier.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking about his confidence and belief after reaching the final, having beaten Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-final, he said, \u201cI\u2019m ready to go. It\u2019s going to be a war on Sunday. I\u2019m going to leave it all on the court. Win or lose, obviously, I\u2019m going to be proud of myself and what I\u2019ve done, but this is the dream. This is what I\u2019m playing for now. It\u2019s right in front of me, and I\u2019m definitely not going to take my foot off the gas.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"My team and I think about things long-term. We\u2019re not looking for instant gratification. I know I still have so much further to go as a tennis player and to become the best version of myself, but it is right there, one more match, and, like I said, I\u2019ll leave everything on the court.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Shelton became the first Black American man to make a Grand Slam final since Arthur Ashe lost to Ilie Nastase in 1972. If he wins, he\u2019ll be the first Black American champion at the US Open since Ashe won here in 1968. Shelton looks to break the streak inside the largest stadium in the world, named for the great Ashe.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On scripting history being the first black American man to reach the US Open Final since Arthur Ashe, Shelton said, \u201cIt means everything. A lot of people have sacrificed a lot for me to be in this position that I\u2019m in today. My whole family, both sides of my family, have gone through a lot to give not only my parents, but also us grandkids, the opportunities that we\u2019ve had. I<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I think that\u2019s always what I\u2019m thinking about and what I\u2019m grateful for when it really comes down to it. I think about the people who\u2019ve backed me and been in my corner. Making history and being a part of history is pretty great, but obviously, the job\u2019s not finished.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On scripting history being the first black American man to reach the US Open Final since Arthur Ashe, Shelton said, \u201cIt means everything. A lot of people have sacrificed a lot for me to be in this position that I\u2019m in today. My whole family, both sides of my family, have gone through a lot to give not only my parents, but also us grandkids, the opportunities that we\u2019ve had. I<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"The crowd will certainly be loud, backing me. New York is such a cool sports city. There\u2019s such a great sports culture here, and I think there\u2019s a lot of American pride, so I\u2019ll definitely be looking to use that and play the best match that I can,\" he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n