American men’s tennis is having a moment at the U.S. Open.

Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe are headed to the semifinals, guaranteeing an American man will play for the U.S. Open title Sunday and giving the home crowd two reasons to believe that the country’s long wait for another men’s champion could finally be coming to an end.

Andy Roddick was the last American man to win the U.S. Open, claiming the title in 2003.

But the recent signs have been encouraging.

In 2024, Taylor Fritz and Tiafoe made history by playing the first all-American men’s Grand Slam semifinal since 2005. Fritz went on to reach the final, becoming the first American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final since Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009.

Now, just two years later, another all-American semifinal is coming to Arthur Ashe Stadium.

And this time, it’s Shelton and Tiafoe.

Tiafoe earned his spot in dramatic fashion, rallying from two sets down to defeat fellow American Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(6) in a four-hour, 38-minute thriller on Tuesday.

It was Tiafoe’s fourth U.S. Open quarterfinal and another reminder of his ability to thrive on the biggest stage.

“I’ve had a good year, but not a good slam year until this point,” Tiafoe said at his post-match press conference. “I think I’ve been so routine-oriented all year, just continuously on a routine.”

Now, he has a chance to reach his first Grand Slam final.

And Tiafoe believes his success, along with Shelton’s, is part of something bigger.

“I think U.S. tennis is in a great place,” Tiafoe said. “So whatever they’re doing aboveboard is great and continue to do so.”

Tiafoe pointed to the depth of American men’s tennis, highlighting Taylor Fritz, Shelton, himself, Learner Tien, Alex Michelsen and Tommy Paul as part of a group that has consistently made deep runs at the biggest tournaments.

“But the guys, we’ve been doing pretty well,” Tiafoe said. “Someone is always going deep in majors. Fritz has been playing great for a long time, Ben and myself. We have Learner. Obviously you have Alex Michelsen, Tommy. There’s a good group of us that are playing really good.”

The US Open semifinal between Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will end a 15-year finals drought for American men in a major. Here’s what’s at stake when the two meet on Friday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Shelton delivered perhaps the biggest statement of the two.

The 23-year-old knocked defending champion Carlos Alcaraz out of the tournament in a five-set marathon Tuesday into Wednesday, winning 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7). The match ended at 3:33 a.m., making it the latest finish in U.S. Open history.

“Carlos is one of the greatest champions in our sport already at 23 years old,” Shelton said in his post-match press conference. “It’s always fun being on the court against him. It’s ridiculous some of the stuff he comes up with sometimes.”

Despite the physical and emotional toll of the match, Shelton called it the best match of his career.

“But, yeah, the most enjoyable match that I’ve had in my career, for sure,” he said.

The victory sends Shelton into his first U.S. Open semifinal, a significant step for American men’s tennis.

The other half of the draw is still in the quarterfinal stage, with No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev among the players still vying for a spot in the semifinals.

Tiafoe isn’t satisfied with an American simply making another semifinal.

“I mean, hopefully we can do the thing, and that’s ultimately try to do the thing after two weeks,” he said. “That’s like the next big step.”

For a generation of American men trying to bring the U.S. Open title back home, that next step will be one match away.