uo26shelton_tiafoe

By | Published September 12, 2026 | Full size is 679 × 515 pixels

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2 Responses to uo26shelton_tiafoe

  1. Voo de Mar says:
    September 12, 2026 at 4:49 am
    Points won by each set: | 27-32, 26-17, 37-27, 38-31 |
    Unreturned serves:
    42 % Shelton – 48 of 114
    22 % Tiafoe – 27 of 121

    Tiafoe [12] has caught a pattern of playing the US Open semifinals in two-year intervals. In 2022 and 2024 he lost in five sets, this time he was relatively close to get another five-setter as he had three break points at 0-all in the 4th set and later was two games away from the decider. Shelton [9] actually needed to save the last BP twice with unreturned serves because on the first attempt, Tiafoe signalized he was unprepared in the last second. On second match point he delivered his second serve with speed much below his average and netted. It was the first all-Afro-American semifinal in the US Open history, but Shelton’s mother is white. “I was doing ⁠my interview here last ​year, and it was really bad how I felt where I was at,” Tiafoe said. “I’m upset, but I’m at the same time so proud of myself of where I’ve been.” Shelton’s backhand was the key to his win. He hadn’t hit any BH winner until 2-all (30/0) in the 2nd set, afterwards to the end of the contest he struck twofold more that in six sets of his two previous major semifinals. The IBM speed serve screen showed 158 mph (254 kph) which would be a new record for the fastest serve, but soon afterwards it’d be revealed a malfunction occurred and the real speed was 144 mph (231 kph).

    Serve & volley: Shelton 4/5, Tiafoe 1/1

    # Comparison of their two US Open 4-setters:
    2023 (QF): Shelton d. Tiafoe 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2… 3 hours 7 minutes… Total points: 123-107… Breaks: 7-4
    2026 (SF): Shelton d. Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5… 3 hours 16 minutes… Total points: 127-108… Breaks: 5-2

  2. Voo de Mar says:
    September 12, 2026 at 3:39 pm
    ☆ Players to get three majors semifinals not playing a final:

    Cliff Richey (Roland Garros ’70; US Open ’70, 72)
    Tom Gorman (Wimbledon ’71; US Open ’72; Roland Garros ’73)
    Raúl Ramírez (Roland Garros ’76-77; Wimbledon ’76)
    Richard Gasquet (Wimbledon ’07, 15, US Open ’13)
    Grigor Dimitrov (Wimbledon ’14; Aussie Open ’17; US Open ’19)
    Karen Hačanov (US Open ’22, 26; Aussie Open ’23)
    Frances Tiafoe (US Open ’22, 24, 26)

    Henman – 6, Grosjean & Davydenko – 4

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