Ben Shelton chases first US
Photo: Yuki Iwamura/AP/TT

Ben Shelton chases first US men’s Grand Slam title since 2003 in US Open final

It's been more than two decades since the last time, but now Ben Shelton has given American tennis another chance. A victory for him in the US Open final would certainly break the American curse on the men's side of the four major tennis tournaments.

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Historically, it is one of the most successful nations in the tennis world, with players on the men's side such as Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, among others.

But while the US women's team has won the four major tournaments, a total of 41 during the 2000s, men's tennis has had a significantly less successful period.

In 2003, Andy Roddick won the US Open on home soil, and since then there has been a complete lack of such success on the men's side in Grand Slam contexts. Many have tried, but no one has succeeded.

Gonna break the curse

Ben Shelton, who barely remembers Roddick's win - Shelton was a year old at the time - is now the next player to try to break the curse when he faces Alexander Zverev of Germany in the final. In Friday's semifinal, Shelton defeated his compatriot and friend Frances Tiafoe 3-1 in sets after Zverev, in turn, beat Russia's Karen Khachanov in straight sets.

It's incredible to be in this situation but the job is not done yet, he said at the press conference after the win.

For Shelton, this is the first time in his career that he has reached a Grand Slam final. As a player, he has become known for his serve, one of the very best on the tennis tour, but has also been questioned. In several matches, the American has used a victory gesture where he pretends to end a phone call by "hanging up the phone".

This made Novak Djokovic, among others, so annoyed that he imitated the gesture after defeating Shelton.

Never won

The American has never made the gesture against his final opponent Alexander Zverev - Zverev has won all their previous meetings. The German world number two is also the favorite in Sunday's final and could then take his second Grand Slam victory this year.

"Hopefully I can make sure the American dream doesn't come true on Sunday," Zverev said.

In this story
AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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