No American man has won the U.S. Open since 2003. Will one make the semifinals when the quarterfinals end Sept 9?
68% of users predicted YES — the community got this one right. 19 predictions cast.
Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe both advanced to the men's semifinals at the 2026 U.S. Open, guaranteeing an American man would reach the final for the first time since Andy Roddick's 2003 title. Shelton, the No. 8 seed, upset defending champion and No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal that concluded in the early morning hours of September 9, 2026, one of the latest finishes in tournament history. Tiafoe, seeded No. 11, needed nearly five hours to beat fellow American Alex Michelsen after falling behind two sets to none, one of the largest comebacks of his career. Shelton's win ended Alcaraz's long Grand Slam winning streak, while Tiafoe's victory came against another American, meaning the pair was set to face each other in Friday's semifinal and locking in an American men's finalist regardless of outcome.
It marked only the second time in three years that two American men reached the same U.S. Open semifinal, with Roddick's 2003 championship remaining the last American men's title at the tournament. The community had forecast a 68 percent chance of an American man reaching the semifinals, correctly anticipating the outcome.