NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Shelton had already told the fans he was really going to need them.
“I’m gonna need you guys on Sunday to bring the energy,” the American had told a cheering Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd when he beat compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the U.S. Open semifinals, setting up his first Grand Slam final. "We’re going for it here.”
Well, Shelton sure had Sunday's crowd. As opponent and ultimate victor Alexander Zverev himself correctly estimated,
“99.9%” of the crowd seemed to be supporting Shelton. The brashly confident and appealing 23-year-old was trying to become the first American to win a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003 — and the first Black man to win the tournament since Arthur Ashe in 1968.
But with all that history on the line — and maybe even because of it — it wasn’t enough.
Shelton fell to a far more accurate and experienced Zverev, 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2, as the hard-serving German extended what has been a stellar year in which he’s captured two Grand Slams and come close to knocking Jannik Sinner off his world No. 1 perch.
Not that the crowd didn’t do its part.
It cheered Shelton, the No. 8 seed, constantly — from the moment he arrived on court, and whenever he exhibited intermittent flashes of brilliance. “Let’s go Ben!” they chanted, and sometimes “USA! USA!” Especially in the third set, when Shelton prevailed. The crowd roared, and settled in for a change of direction.
But it didn’t happen. Zverev quickly broke for a 2-0 lead, then broke again for 5-2, and won the match more quickly than many anticipated — apparently including Zverev, who didn't realize at first that he’d actually won.
Minutes later, at the trophy ceremony, a downcast Shelton recovered to smile and then charm the crowd, thanking everyone from, first, God, to his family and his team, and down to his driver and “the security guards who make me smile every day.”
He saved his final thanks for the fans of New York, especially those “who stayed until 4 in the morning.” That was a reference to his epic quarterfinal win over No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller that will be talked about for years — and only partly because it concluded at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish ever at the Open.
Speaking to the media later Sunday, Shelton was subdued, but clearly focused on the future.
“I’m motivated,” he said. “Disappointed with how today went (but) happy with how I fought throughout the week, two weeks. Excited with the progress that I feel that I’ve made, but yeah, this one stings 100%.
“It’s on to the next,” he said. "Try to keep getting better and show up in Australia even stronger than I showed up here.”
If Shelton had been troubled by the weight of history and the dreams of a long-denied tennis nation, he did not mention it.
But earlier in the week, he seemed to consciously downplay that angle.
“Like, yes, I can think about how cool this moment is and what I’m playing for,” he had said after his semifinal. “But at the end of the day, I’m here in New York, I’m hanging out with my team, I’m with my homies playing a little bit of tennis, and I’ve been able to downplay the moment pretty well.”
Asked Sunday what had made the final against Zverev so challenging, he first cited the incredible accuracy of the German's serve.
“He’s got the best serve in tennis,” Shelton said. “I broke him today for the first time in 66 games. I think you combine that with as good as he is as a tennis player outside the serve, how complete he is, he’s gotten so much better at the net. He’s an elite mover at 6-foot-7. He’s got a lot of length, so he returns really well. Solid from the baseline and one of the fittest guys on tour too."
And he noted his own lack of consistency.
“I definitely didn’t execute from the ground the way I wanted to,” he said. “I didn’t hit my forehand well today … I made too many errors, and I think that’s the big piece from me. I want to be more lethal with my forehand.”
Shelton also made clear he was annoyed with how many times Zverev was bouncing the ball before serves — a practice that even brought Zverev some boos from the crowd, as when he sought to complain about a time violation issued by the umpire.
Shelton said the umpire had told him to get to the line earlier to return serve. “I was, like, 'He can start his routine whenever he wants. I promise you there will never be a time where he serves and I’m not ready. But I shouldn’t have to sit at the line — you know, if he’s bouncing the ball 20 to 25 times, I shouldn’t have to just sit there for that.”
Summing up his experience in the biggest match of his life, though, Shelton made clear he was focusing on the positives.
“It’s such a cool moment,” he said. “Walking out on that court today, there’s nothing like it. I’ve never felt anything like that before. It’s an addicting feeling being in positions like this.”
“Obviously for me it sucked the last couple of Grand Slams sitting at home for 10, 11, 12 days while the tournament was still going on, watching everyone else run through the draw. You know, it’s motivating. Losing in the final is also motivating, but this is the position I want to be in."
And he made clear he knows he needs to keep improving.
“I don’t think I’m anywhere near the player that I want to be,” Shelton said. "I think I’m a great competitor. ... But yeah, to win on Sundays, you've got to play a very, very high level of great tennis.
"Yeah, just got to be better.”
___
See AP’s full tennis coverage here
