On Friday night, tennis fans tuned in to watch Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton battle it out in the semifinals of the US Open for the chance to make it to the Final on Sunday afternoon.
But this match held much more significance due to history.
Both men were fighting to make the first final in a major in their career but more significantly, each was fighting to become the first Black man to make the US Open Final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
That’s a lot of pressure for Black players competing in a sport generally devoid of those that look like them.
This made Friday night’s match more interesting and exciting than a normal semifinal, and it’s exactly what Arthur Ashe envisioned while enduring all of the hate, ridicule, doubt and racism in order to play tennis.
Ashe began playing the sport at an early age on segregated courts in Virginia. As his skills improved, he had to travel to different parts of the country in order to play as there weren’t many courts or competitions for Black athletes to play in in Virginia.
He attended UCLA and exceled on the court for the Bruins, winning an individual NCAA title and becoming the first African-American player to make the U.S. Davis Cup team.
After graduating, he joined the Army from 1966 – 1968 but continued to play tennis. On September 9th, 1968, he beat Tom Okker of the Netherlands to win the first US Open title and to this day, he is the only Black man to do so.
That’s why having either Tiafoe or Shelton in the Open Final was so meaningful.
Both men were vying to make, and win, their first major title and, ironically, they were trying to do it in the stadium named after the man whose history they were chasing.
Ashe went on to win the Australian Open in 1970 and on July 5, 1975, he beat Jimmy Connors to become the first and only Black man to win the Wimbledon single’s title. That year he also became the #1 ranked player in the world.
These are all possibilities for Tiafoe and Shelton.
Both men are still in their 20s (28 and 23, respectively) and are ranked 12th and 9th, respectively, in the world by the ATP.
Tiafoe grew up in Maryland, which is the same state where, in 1958, Ashe became the first African-American to play in the boys’ championships.
In 2020, Tiafoe won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for his charitable work, which included his efforts in social justice education and reform. Ashe had the same focus through his efforts to end Apartheid in South Africa starting in 1969, when he tried to play in the South African Open but was denied a visa due to the country’s segregation laws.
Shelton, by defeating Tiafoe on Friday night to advance to Sunday’s US Open Final, became the first Black man to make the US Open Final since Ashe in 1972 and became the first Black man to make a Grand Slam Final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996.
While Shelton lost to Alexander Zverev on Sunday, he cemented his name in history next to Washington and the Stadium’s namesake.
So as we head into the new season in 2027, we should all pay close attention to Tiafoe and Shelton as they pursue a Grand Slam singles title, something no Black man has done since Ashe’s victory at Wimbledon in 1975.
When that happens, fans will finally understand what Arthur Ashe fought so hard to achieve despite the taunts, exclusion and racism he endured.
“Being black is the greatest burden I’ve had to bear,” replied Ashe when asked if coping with AIDS was the hardest burden he had to bear.
“Race has always been my biggest burden. Having to live as a minority in America. Even now it continues to feel like an extra weight tied around me,” said Ashe in his autobiography.
In a time where Black America is under constant attack and racism runs rampant, Ashe’s words, unfortunately, still hold truth.
That’s why it’s so important that we celebrate the run Tiafoe and Shelton had at the Open, and support them as they fight to win a title like Ashe.
And when they do, that will be another win to add to Arthur Ashe’s legendary resume.
