NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 05: Ben Shelton of the United States shakes hands with Frances Tiafoe of the United States after their Men’s Singles Quarterfinal match on Day Nine of the 2023 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 05, 2023 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
For the first time ever, two African-American men faced each other in the quarterfinals of the US Open yesterday.
Ben Shelton defeated Frances Tiafoe and will play Novak Djokovic in the Semifinals.
The match not only being the first time two men of color faced each other in the U.S. Open, but it also happened at Arthur Ashe Stadium, named after the first African American to win tennis titles at Wimbledon, the US, and the Australian Open.