US Open men's semifinals
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The gist
The 2026 US Open men's semifinals are set for Friday, September 11, in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
An all-American clash guarantees a US man in Sunday's final for the first time.
Background
The 2026 US Open men's draw was shaken early: world No. 1 Jannik Sinner missed the tournament with a knee injury, and Novak Djokovic suffered a first-round upset loss to Mariano Navone. That opened the door for three Americans to reach the quarterfinals, and two of them — Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe — won through to set up an all-American semifinal. Alexander Zverev, the reigning French Open champion, is the only semifinalist with a Grand Slam title and the only one who has previously contested a major final.
How it unfolded
- Sep 6, 2026Frances Tiafoe defeats Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round.
- Sep 8, 2026Tiafoe rallies from two sets down to beat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 in the quarterfinals.
- Sep 9, 2026Ben Shelton upsets defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) in a match that ended at 3:30 a.m., the latest finish in US Open history.
- Sep 9, 2026Alexander Zverev cruises past Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 to reach his 13th career major semifinal.
- Sep 10, 2026Karen Khachanov advances to the semifinals after Alexander Blockx retires.
- Sep 11, 2026Semifinals: Zverev vs. Khachanov not before 3 p.m. EDT, followed by Shelton vs. Tiafoe at 7 p.m. EDT, both in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- The US Open notes that only Zverev has previously contested a Grand Slam final, while Shelton is in his second US Open semifinal and Tiafoe his third.
- Analysts
- The ATP Tour highlights that Zverev holds a 6-3 head-to-head advantage over Khachanov and is the only semifinalist with a major title.
- Public
- ABC News frames the all-American semifinal as a major breakthrough for American tennis, with two American men two wins from the title.