Atlanta native Ben Shelton is on the cusp of more Black tennis excellence

It’s been a big week in sports.

Week 1 of college football kicked off last weekend, and the NFL season started with a Super Bowl rematch on Wednesday and another game in Australia on Thursday.

Add the U.S. Open to the conversation.

Tennis? Yes, tennis.

Friday’s men’s semifinals featured a significant matchup, with Ben Shelton defeating Frances Tiafoe for a spot in Sunday’s championship.

“So what?” some would say.

It’s the first Grand Slam semifinal with two Black men in the Open Era, which dates back to 1968. That’s also the year Arthur Ashe glided around the court sporting an Afro and won the U.S. Open title, becoming the first Black man to accomplish that feat.

There hasn’t been a Black American man in the final since 1972, when Ashe lost to Ilie Nastase.

It’s fitting because the stadium court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York is named after Ashe. Shelton, who won a four-set thriller over Tiafoe, will face top-seeded Alexander Zverev for a chance to join Ashe in tennis history.

Shelton, 23, is the No. 8 seed and is having the best year of his career, leading up to his breakthrough win Friday. That run includes a monumental win over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

Black tennis

“Shelton and Tiafoe play at 7 tonight,” my wife said.

“Thanks,” I replied.

I initially took it as a reminder for me, but then I realized it wasn’t for me at all.

She’s been tapped in and tuning in throughout the tournament, and there’s been a groundswell of support from non-tennis fans for this year’s U.S. Open, which has seen some significant achievements for Black tennis players.

It started with Serena Williams, another of Black tennis’ icons, teaming with Alcaraz for mixed doubles. Then Serena turned back the clock again, pairing with Venus in the doubles tournament for the first time at the U.S. Open in four years.

Taylor Townsend, the No. 2 women’s doubles player in the world, won the championship with longtime partner Katerina Siniaková (ranked No. 1), completing the career Grand Slam.

Coco Gauff made a run to the singles semifinals before falling to the new world No. 1, Elena Rybakina.

And there’s been a significant list of Black celebrities showing up to support, including former first lady Michelle Obama, Spike Lee, Issa Rae and NBA stars Jalen Brunson and Cade Cunningham.

Call it a Black tennis resurgence.

It’s also an American bounceback, as no American man has won the U.S. Open singles championship since Andy Roddick in 2003. The last to reach a final was Taylor Fritz in 2024.

The Williams sister made their mark with eight U.S. Open singles titles, including Serena’s six, along with their two doubles titles together.

Atlanta connections

Shelton was born in Atlanta, and he has deep roots here. His father, Bryan, is a Georgia Tech alum and was an All-America player in 1988. He later became Tech’s women’s tennis coach in the early 2000s, leading them to their first national title, in 2007.

Bryan was a good pro tennis player before the family moved to Gainesville, Florida, and he coached Ben at the University of Florida, where they won a national championship in 2021.

Gauff has Atlanta connections too.

Even before I moved here, I had heard that Atlanta was an elite tennis city. Then I joined the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association and found out for myself.