US Open revamps mixed doubles format, adds $1 million prize to incentivize "biggest names in the sport"

Ben Shelton has 17 tour-level wins this season. Ten of those victories have remarkably come in best of five, with all but one across the two hard-court majors in Australia and the U.S.

At 12:30 a.m. in New York with the calendar page turning to Wednesday, Shelton punched his ticket to a maiden Grand Slam tournament semifinal with a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 victory over Frances Tiafoe in the pair’s first meeting.

"I'm feeling like I left it all out here. Emotional battle. Hell of an atmosphere," he told Brad Gilbert afterwards on court.

The 20-year-old somehow overcame a pair of double faults with the third-set tiebreaker in his hands, flipping the switch by saving a set point with a 105 MPH forehand return winner.

"Sometimes you gotta shut off the brain, close your eyes and just swing. Maybe it was a little bit of that down set point," reflected Shelton.

Having secured the crucial swing set of the clash, Shelton channeled his adrenaline to an immediate break of serve and later piled it out by winning his seventh return game of the contest. At the 3:07 minute mark, he successfully served it out.

Shelton is projected to crack the Top 20 next week with his effort in Queens.

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Shelton joins Australian Open semifinalist Tommy Paul as the second American man to reach the final four of a major this season. The former University of Florida standout lost to Paul in Melbourne’s last eight, and endured seven months of rookie season growing pains in failing to post back-to-back tour-level wins until suiting up for Flushing Meadows. Before beating Tiafoe, Shelton got the better of Paul in the round of 16.

The Shelton Sandwich:

Australian Open: reached quarterfinals
Delray Beach: lost first match
Acapulco: lost first match
Indian Wells: lost second match
Miami: lost first match
Estoril: lost first match
Monte Carlo: lost first match
Barcelona: lost second match
Madrid: lost first match
Rome: lost first match
Geneva: lost first match
Roland Garros: lost first match
London Queen’s: lost second match
Mallorca: lost first match
Wimbledon: lost second match
Atlanta: lost first match
Washington, D.C: lost first match
Toronto: lost second match
Cincinnati: lost second match
US Open: reached semifinals

Getting to the final will require Shelton to dethrone 23-time major champion Novak Djokovic. The Serbian made light work of Taylor Fritz to get through to a men’s record 47th major semifinal.

More to come from Steve Tignor.

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