Tennis has always, stereotypically, been a predominantly white sport. Over the past couple decades, however, the tennis world has begun to see some new faces of different races and skill in young people, especially in the United States. So, it can be of no surprise to learn that Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton are making history, as this is the first major tournament since 1968 to feature multiple black men in the quarterfinals.
For Frances Tiafoe–“Big Foe” as he is known to fans–tennis is almost all he has known. As the son of immigrants, Tiafoe took advantage of living at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland. He lived there alongside his twin brother and father, who worked as an on-site custodian, to learn how to play tennis. He started playing at four years old and the rest is history. Tiafoe’s junior career took off quickly in 2012, and after only two years, he made his Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour main draw debut at the age of 16 in 2014.
His first big break as a singles player came in 2018, when he won the Delray Beach Open, becoming the first wildcard entry to win the tournament. Currently, Tiafoe is ranked No. 10 in the world for singles which is his career highest. He is the second American to be listed in the world’s top ten players behind Taylor Fritz. Tiafoe remains a dominant presence in every tournament he plays in, always a crowd favorite. He has been ranked the 10 seed in this year’s US Open.
As for the left-handed player, Ben Shelton, tennis is also all he has known. Shelton is the son of Bryan Shelton, who is a former professional tennis player and former coach for the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets women’s tennis and the Florida Gators men’s tennis coach. His mother, Lisa Witsken Shelton, was a highly-ranked junior tennis player. Todd Witsken, his uncle, was a professional tennis player and his sister, Emma, played tennis during her collegiate years at Florida. Ultimately, it made sense for Shelton to get into the game of tennis, as it is rather a family affair.
Shelton won the 2016 United States Tennis Association (USTA) junior national championship and he then chose to play tennis at the collegiate level for the Florida Gators, where he clinched the teams’ first national championship in 2021. In the following year, he won the men’s singles title at the 2022 NCAA Division I Tennis Championships and he was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Player of the Year. Shelton then finally made his ATP debut in July 2022 at the Atlanta Open, announcing two months later that he was officially turning pro. At only 20 years old, Shelton’s professional tennis-playing career is far from over. He is currently ranked world No. 47 in singles.
As you can undoubtedly tell, both of these men are exceptionally talented and love the sport they play, as they dedicate their time on and off the court to tennis. Both are still very young and have a lot more time to play, in terms of retirement, and the fact that it only took this long for them to make history is astonishing. Truthfully, the fact that it took this long for them to finally meet and play is crazy to believe too.
When the moment finally came for them to play in the US Open quarterfinals this past Tuesday,it was Shelton who came out as the victor, beating Tiafoe in four sets. Both players started out strong, earning a set a piece. The third set was tight, resulting in a tiebreaker, which Shelton eventually won 9-7. Soon after, Shelton was able to capture the fourth set, 6-2, to win. This made him the youngest American man to reach a US Open semifinal since Andy Roddick in 2003. Shelton will now face Novak Djokovic, who is No. two in the world for singles, this coming Friday.
On a different note, another player to watch is Coco Gauff. The 19 year old has stormed into the US Open semifinals, becoming the first American teenager in the semifinals since Serena Williams. She played her semifinal match last night against Karolina Muchova, beating Karolina Muchova in two sets. As the six seed, Gauff has certainly shown off her talent and determination as she awaits to play one of the biggest matches of her career.
Madison Keys, the 17 seed, is another player to watch. Keys has now reached the semifinals, recently beating fellow American and three seed, Jessica Pegula in the round of sixteen and reigning Wimbledon Champion, Marketa Vondrousova, in the quarterfinals. This is the first time she has made back-to-back quarterfinals at Grand Slam tournaments—which consist of the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open—since 2018. This is also Keys’ fifth Grand Slam tournament semifinal appearance, with her most recent being the 2022 Australian Open semifinals. She played her semifinal match on Thursday night, unfortunately losing to world No. two, Aryna Sabalenka in three sets.
American tennis has gone relatively unnoticed in the past couple of years, with so little progress made. However, now is the time to open your eyes, America, and see just how quickly and well American players like Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, and so many more, are making a comeback and bringing new life back to American tennis.
