​Photo by Julian Finney/Getty ImagesBen Shelton beat Frances Tiafoe to make it to the US Open final. In the process, he has managed some impressive accomplishments.Ben Shelton will play in a Grand Slam final for the first time in his career at the 2026 US Open. He will be hoping to win against Alexander Zverev, but his run has already been quite impressive.The American tennis star carries the country’s hopes on his shoulders. When taking into account what his finals appearance already means, and what another win could mean, it is easy to understand why.Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty ImagesBen Shelton becomes first Black American man since Arthur Ashe to make US Open finalBoth Shelton and Tiafoe were competing in the semi-final for a few of these rare accomplishments, and it was the 23-year-old who came out on top.Shelton has become the first Black American man to make it to the US Open Final since the legendary Arthur Ashe did it in 1972. It has been a 44-year wait.In the process, he has also become just the second man since 2010 to make it all the way to a major final. The other was Taylor Fritz in 2024, when he lost to Jannik Sinner at the US Open.And if he is to beat Zverev and claim his first Grand Slam, he will be the first American man to do so since Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003.The 23-year-old is on the path to making himself a legend, but he has to finish the job. He will have all the support any athlete could ask for in the final, and the country will be hoping he can win it all.Read more:‘Gotta stop with the hallway camera’: Fans react as Frances Tiafoe’s bizarre video goes viral after US Open lossFact check: Did Ben Shelton actually break Grand Slam record with 158 mph serve?Why Trinity Rodman is set to miss Ben Shelton’s US Open final vs Alexander Zverev