Whatever happens Friday night under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium, tennis history is guaranteed. No. 8 seed Ben Shelton and No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe meet in the second US Open men's semifinal, and because both are American, the tournament is assured its first homegrown men's finalist since Taylor Fritz in 2024 — and its first Black American man to reach a US Open final since Arthur Ashe won the title in 1972.

Both men punched their tickets the hard way. Shelton needed four hours and 28 minutes to dethrone two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-6), in a quarterfinal that didn't end until roughly 3 a.m. — the latest finish in tournament history. Tiafoe's path was just as brutal: down two sets and facing a 0-3 hole in the fifth against fellow American Alex Michelsen, he clawed back to win 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6, according to CBS Sports.

Shelton, still buzzing from the Alcaraz marathon, credited the Flushing Meadows crowd for carrying him through it.

"That was a war, epic match, so physical. Carlos is one of the greatest champions in our sport already, at 23 years old... It's the most enjoyable match that I've had in my career, for sure," Shelton said afterward, according to Al Jazeera.

A drought decades in the making

No American man has won a major singles title since Andy Roddick's 2003 US Open triumph, and Friday's winner will end that finalist drought outright. The stakes carry extra historical weight because Shelton and Tiafoe are both Black — meaning the winner will also become the first Black American man to reach any Grand Slam singles final since 1996, per ABC News. It is also believed to be the first time two Black American men have faced off in a major semifinal in the Open era.

The two enter with a near-even history — this is their fifth career meeting, with Tiafoe winning their last US Open encounter in 2024, also in five sets. Tiafoe, who is projected to crack the top 10 for the first time in three years regardless of Friday's outcome, will be chasing a final that has eluded him in two previous US Open semifinal appearances.

The winner advances to face either top seed Alexander Zverev or Karen Khachanov, who play the tournament's other men's semifinal earlier Friday, with the final set for Sunday at Flushing Meadows.

The men's semifinal drama comes on the heels of a blockbuster women's side of the draw, where Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are set to meet in Saturday's final — but for one night, Arthur Ashe Stadium belongs to two Americans chasing a piece of history neither has ever touched.