US Open 2026 Semifinals Preview: American Stars Shine
New York’s night session finally blinked.
After four and a half hours, after the clock lurched past 3 a.m. and Arthur Ashe Stadium had turned into a test of endurance as much as talent, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz walked out, beaten. Ben Shelton stayed. The American, still riding the edge between raw power and rising polish, sent the titleholder out of the 2026 US Open in five draining sets and ripped the men’s draw wide open.
The longest match in the tournament’s history didn’t just remove the champion. It guaranteed a new kind of finish.
All-American collision on one side
Shelton’s reward for his overnight epic is another American, another stage, another fight.
He meets Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals, a matchup that ensures a home player will walk onto Ashe on championship Sunday. Tiafoe, the Maryland native who has spent the past few years flirting with a major breakthrough, had to scrap through his own domestic duel in the quarters, outlasting fellow American Alex Michelsen.
Shelton brings the shock value, the booming serve, the belief that he can tear up any script in front of him. Tiafoe brings experience and a crowd that has grown with him, year after year, round after round. One of them will carry the flag into the final. Neither plans on stopping there.
Zverev steadies the other half
The other half of the men’s draw carries a very different energy.
No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev, fresh from his French Open triumph, barely flinched in his quarterfinal. He brushed aside Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets, a clinical, almost cold performance that underlined why he arrived in New York as the top seed.
Waiting for him is Karen Khachanov, whose path turned sharply when Alexander Blockx retired injured in their quarterfinal. Khachanov advances with fewer miles in his legs, but Zverev arrives with a full head of steam and the authority of a man who has finally converted potential into a major title.
One semifinal will be chaos and noise. The other looks like a test of control and composure.
American hopes alive in the women’s draw
On the women’s side, the story bends in a familiar direction: can an American cut through a wall of power at the top of the game?
Jessica Pegula took care of her part. The No. 3 seed handled fellow American Emma Navarro in the quarterfinals, another measured, professional performance from a player who has quietly made consistency her calling card at the majors.
Now comes the hardest assignment of all: Aryna Sabalenka.
The world No. 1 and defending champion powered past Wimbledon winner Linda Nosková to return to the last four. Sabalenka’s game still leans on heavy hitting and relentless pressure, but there’s a hard-earned composure behind it now, the look of a champion who expects to be here every year. Pegula will have to absorb, redirect, and find ways to drag the match into her patterns, not Sabalenka’s.
Gauff, Rybakina, and a heavyweight semi
If Pegula’s task is daunting, Coco Gauff’s is no gentler.
The No. 4 seed had to dig deep in her quarterfinal, rallying past No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva. It was the kind of match Gauff has learned to navigate: momentum swings, tactical adjustments, the weight of expectation that comes with being the 2023 US Open champion on home soil.
Next up is Elena Rybakina, now officially the new No. 1 in the women’s rankings after beating Qinwen Zheng. The No. 2 seed’s rise has been steady, her game built on clean, effortless power and a serve that can suffocate opponents before rallies even begin.
Gauff brings athleticism, defense, and a crowd that roars with every sprinted retrieval. Rybakina brings quiet menace and a ranking that says she’s the standard now. Their semifinal has all the ingredients of a modern classic.
Semifinal slate in New York
- Women’s semifinals – Thursday, Sept. 10
- No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 3 Jessica Pegula, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- No. 2 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 4 Coco Gauff, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Men’s semifinals – Friday, Sept. 11
- No. 1 Alexander Zverev vs. Karen Khachanov, 3 p.m. ET
- No. 11 Frances Tiafoe vs. No. 8 Ben Shelton, 7 p.m. ET
A champion has already fallen. Records have already been broken in the middle of the night. The question now is simple: who handles the noise, the weight, and the moment best when New York’s lights burn brightest?
