Ben Shelton ready for US Open final against Alexander Zverev

Ben Shelton reached his first Grand Slam final after defeating fellow American Frances Tiafoe at the US Open. The eighth seed said he is confident and ready to face Alexander Zverev, highlighting the small margins needed to become a champion.

New York: USA’s top-ranked player Ben Shelton said he is ready for the US Open final against current Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev after defeating fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the semi-final.

Shelton came back from a set down to beat Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 at a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium, with several celebrities in attendance. Shelton reached his first Grand Slam final, where he will face 2020 New York runner-up Zverev, who beat Karen Khachanov in the other semifinal.

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“I think that I’m fully ready for the challenge to problem-solve. And, yeah, I feel that I’m a different player. I feel I have so many more tools,” Shelton told the media in the post-match press conference after his semifinal win.

“I feel like I know my identity. I’m comfortable in my own skin. I know what it takes for me to be playing top-level tennis. Not that I’m going to come out every day and everything’s going to be perfect and clicking. But I think that’s why our sport is so difficult and the beauty of our sport. And so, yeah, I’m looking forward to the challenge, being able to problem-solve on Sunday.

“I know what I’m up against. And I’m also the most confident I’ve ever been in my game,” he added.

Shelton has been in stellar form throughout the tournament. He knocked out an impressive Stefanos Tsitsipas in the round of 16, then ended defending champion Carlos Alcaraz’s bid for back-to-back US Open titles, and finally got the better of a fellow American in the semi-final.

The eighth seed emphasised on the small margins in all categories to be a champion in this sport. “It’s everything. It’s emotions. It’s the way that I train. It’s how I practise. It’s then the way that I compete; how focused can I stay? It’s sleeping habits, eating habits, everything. I think that you have to be great in every category to be a champion in this sport.

It’s clear from the guys who’ve paved the way and who’ve done it before. The extremes that you have to go to and become the best. I’m the most committed than I’ve ever been to my tennis career. To being the very best version of myself, I’ve always been an extremely hard worker, but I think that all the little supplementary categories are where I’ve made the biggest strides as of late,” he said.