On Friday night, tennis fans tuned in to watch Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton battle it out in the semifinals of the US Open for the chance to make it to the Final on Sunday afternoon.
But this match held much more significance due to history.
Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton made history today as the first Black men to face off in a major semifinal match.
— First and Pen (@firstandpen) September 12, 2026
Now they're battling to reach the first Grand Slam final of their career and become the first Black man to reach the US Open Final since Arthur Ashe in 1972. 🎾✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/1pp6jly3kv
Both men were fighting to make the first final in a major in their career but more significantly, each was fighting to become the first Black man to make the US Open Final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
That’s a lot of pressure for Black players competing in a sport generally devoid of those that look like them.
This made Friday night’s match more interesting and exciting than a normal semifinal, and it’s exactly what Arthur Ashe envisioned while enduring all of the hate, ridicule, doubt and racism in order to play tennis.
Ashe began playing the sport at an early age on segregated courts in Virginia. As his skills improved, he had to travel to different parts of the country in order to play as there weren’t many courts or competitions for Black athletes to play in Virginia.
He attended UCLA and excelled on the court for the Bruins, winning an individual NCAA title and becoming the first African-American player to make the U.S. Davis Cup team.
After graduating, he joined the Army from 1966 – 1968 but continued to play tennis. On September 9th, 1968, he beat Tom Okker of the Netherlands to win the first US Open title and to this day, he is the only Black man to do so.
That’s why having either Tiafoe or Shelton in the Open Final was so meaningful.
