'This One Hurts' — Tiafoe Proud But Targeting Major Title After US Open Exit
Frances Tiafoe 'Proud' of comeback season despite US Open semi-final loss to Ben Shelton. Tiafoe vows to learn how to close as Grand Slam dream goes on.
Tiafoe falls short again in New York as Shelton moves into US Open final...
Frances Tiafoe said the next step in his game is learning to finish matches off. The American lost to Ben Shelton in the US Open semi-finals on Friday, but the 11th seed said he’s proud of his comeback year and expects to return to the world’s top 10.
This was Tiafoe’s third US Open semi-final appearance, but he fell short again. The eighth seed Shelton beat him 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 to reach the final.
Despite the loss, Tiafoe’s run at Flushing Meadows means the 28-year-old will rise to a career-high world No. 8 when the new rankings come out. It will also mark his return to the top 10 for the first time since 2023.
“It’s been a great season for me, but this one hurts,” Tiafoe told reporters.
“We wanted to win this one. You know, it's just the last couple of weeks, it's been great weeks, but haven't been able to finish, and that's probably going to be the next thing for me.
“I was doing my interview here last year, and it was really bad how I felt where I was at,” he said. “I'm upset, but I'm at the same time so proud of myself of where I've been.”
Shelton 🤝 Tiafoe
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 12, 2026
So much respect between these two competitors and friends.@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/tJawhlFlqZ
Tiafoe insists his dream of winning a Grand Slam is still very much alive.
“I want to do the thing, man. I want to be a Grand Slam champion one day and just get back to the drawing board and keep working,” he said.
Playing in front of the New York crowd made this deep run extra special, but it also left him hungry for more.
“I just want to win it, man. I mean, the love is incredible. It's something that gives me definitely tears in my eyes from a kid starting how I did, and the love I have here is crazy.”
He’ll now focus on pushing for qualification to the ATP Finals in Turin, the season-ending event for the world’s top players in November.
“I'm going to probably feel sorry for myself the next couple of days, but after that, I can start working again and get to Turin,” he said.
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