Ben Shelton knew Arthur Ashe Stadium was full of famous faces. He just did not always know which ones.
That became clear after the 23-year-old defeated Frances Tiafoe, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, on Friday night to reach the first Grand Slam final of his career.
Knicks captain Jalen Brunson was among the celebrities watching Shelton make history, along with Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Ben Stiller and Shelton’s girlfriend, U.S. soccer star Trinity Rodman.
Shelton admitted afterward that the star power surrounding Ashe can be difficult to ignore.
“It’s not easy playing here on Arthur Ashe,” Shelton said. “You’re playing in front of all your favorite athletes and movie stars. So to be able to keep your head down and focus for over three hours is not an easy task.”
Then he laughed.
“I keep on looking up at the screen like, ‘Oh shoot, Jalen Brunson’s here!’”
Ben Shelton said it wasn’t easy playing with all the celebrities in the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Jalen Brunson, Knicks Stars Watch Shelton Make History
Brunson was hardly the only familiar New York face in the building.
Brunson, Bridges and Hart were all in attendance for Shelton’s semifinal victory over Tiafoe, part of another star-studded crowd in Flushing Meadows. Brunson attended with his wife, Ali, and sat next to one of the Knicks’ most recognizable celebrity fans, Ben Stiller. Stiller’s wife, actress Christine Taylor, was also seated with the group.
Rodman has been a regular presence throughout Shelton’s U.S. Open run, giving the American another familiar face in a stadium that has increasingly rallied behind him.
Shelton gave the crowd plenty to remember.
The victory made him the first Black American man to reach the U.S. Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972 and the first Black American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996.
He also became the first American man to reach the U.S. Open final since Andy Roddick won the title in 2003.
Shelton Calls on American Crowd for One More Push
Once Shelton finished processing the celebrity crowd, his attention shifted quickly to Sunday’s final against Alexander Zverev.
The German advanced with a straight-sets victory over Karen Khachanov and will enter the final with considerably more experience at this stage.
Shelton, meanwhile, will have something Zverev will not: a home crowd desperate to see an American champion.
“I’m going to need you guys on Sunday to bring the energy,” Shelton told the Ashe crowd after beating Tiafoe. “I’m going for it here. I’m going to leave it all on the court.”
Then came his final appeal:
“Let’s do this for the USA.”
That connection with the crowd has become one of the defining features of Shelton’s run in New York.
The celebrities may have caught his eye between points. Brunson may even have surprised him when his face flashed on the stadium screen.
But for more than three hours, Shelton managed to tune out the distractions long enough to make history.
On Sunday, he wants every one of those voices back.
Ben Shelton Has Hilarious Jalen Brunson Reaction During Historic US Open Win