Who are the 2026 US Open men's singles semifinalists?
The 2026 US Open men's singles semifinalists are Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Alexander Zverev and Karen Khachanov.
There will be a brand new US Open men’s singles champion in 2026. Ben Shelton assured that much with one last thunderstroke of serve to knock off reigning winner Carlos Alcaraz in a quarterfinal that wrapped up at 3:33 Wednesday morning.
What remains, though, is undeniable quality. Alexander Zverev won the 2026 French Open, the 23-year-old Shelton is in to the second US Open semifinal of his young career, and his opponent in the Final Four, Frances Tiafoe, is into his third. Rounding out the quartet is Karen Khachanov, unseeded this fortnight but a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist and Olympic silver medalist.
Friday afternoon, all four will take to the court looking to make history—only Zverev has ever previously contested a Grand Slam final—with a berth in Sunday’s championship match on the line, and a Tiffany trophy just two victories away.
Here’s a closer look at the four men remaining, their paths to the semifinals, and what lies ahead:
Alexander Zverev
Seed/Rank: 1/2
Next Opponent: Karen Khachanov
Best US Open Result: F (2020)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2026 French Open); F (2020 US Open, 2024 French Open, 2025 Australian Open, 2026 Wimbledon)
Sets Won/Lost: 15-4
Distance Run: 39,901 feet
Time Spent on Court: 16 hours, 40 minutes
Zverev has been positively dominant since stumbling out of the blocks. He needed five sets in each of his first two matches, against Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys, but has rallied to win his last three encounters in straight sets, meaning the 29-year-old German should be plenty fresh as he looks to add a US Open title to the French Open crown he won earlier this year. If there is one knock on Zverev's play thus far, it’s the competition. He has yet to face a Top 20 seed, a fact that won’t change in Friday’s semifinal, when he takes on Karen Khachanov. Still, Khachanov presents a stern test. He is a former Olympic silver medalist (though, notably, he lost to Zverev in that gold medal match) and two-time US Open semifinalist who enters the match playing his best tennis in years. Zverev holds the 6-3 career head-to-head advantage, including wins in three of their four matches since 2024.
Ben Shelton
Seed/Rank: 8/9
Next Opponent: No. 11 Frances Tiafoe
Best US Open Result: SF (2023, 2026)
Best Grand Slam Result: SF (2023, 2026 US Open; 2025 Australian Open), QF (2023, 2026 Australian Open; 2025 Wimbledon)
Sets Won/Lost: 15-5
Distance Run: 44,143 feet
Time Spent on Court: 15:41
Shelton played perhaps the match of his life to oust two-time US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in a late-night/early-morning quarterfinal that ended in a fifth-set tiebreak. It was an emotional victory for the former University of Florida star, and his upcoming semifinal against fellow American Frances Tiafoe might very well pivot on how he recovers. The good news for Shelton? He’s only 23 years old, is in tremendous shape, had two days off and benefits from Tiafoe also having played a long five-set quarterfinal. Also, at this stage, Shelton’s confidence is sky high. He has navigated a thorny draw—in addition to Alcaraz, he has defeated three former Top 10 players (Hubert Hurkacz, Denis Shapovalov and No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas) and one former Top 25 foe (Tallon Griekspoor)—and he entered the Open on the heels of a tournament title in Montreal, his fourth of the season (second only to Jannik Sinner). Shelton and Tiafoe have squared off four times previously, with Shelton holding a 3-1 advantage, and they have split their two previous US Open tilts, with Shelton topping Tiafoe in the 2023 quarterfinals and Tiafoe turning the tables in the third round a year later.
Frances Tiafoe
Seed/Rank: 11/12
Next Opponent: No. 8 Ben Shelton
Best US Open Result: SF (2022, 2024, 2026)
Best Grand Slam Result: SF (2022, 2024, 2026 US Open), QF (2019 Australian Open, 2023 US Open, 2025 French Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 15-4
Distance Run: 39,472 feet
Time Spent on Court: 16:03
Big Foe is back into the US Open Final Four for the third time in five years, matching Andre Agassi for the most US Open semifinals by an American man this century. The 28-year-old advanced to the semis by the narrowest of margins, rebounding from down two sets, down a break in the third set and down 3-0 in the fifth set to outlast Alex Michelsen in the quarterfinals. It was a high-intensity affair that left both men exhausted at the finish, and it remains to be seen how much Tiafoe has left when he faces fellow American Shelton with a first-ever Grand Slam final on the line. Like Shelton, Tiafoe benefits from having two days off following his quarterfinal match, but he has spent more than 16 hours on court to this stage of the tournament—a hefty sum through five encounters. Still, the US Open always brings out the best in Tiafoe: All three of his Grand Slam semifinals and four of his six Grand Slam quarterfinals have come in New York. And following a run to the Cincinnati title match prior to the Open, Tiafoe has now won 10 of his last 11 matches.
Karen Khachanov
Seed/Rank: --/50
Next Opponent: No. 1 Alexander Zverev
Best US Open Result: SF (2022, 2026)
Best Grand Slam Result: SF (2022, 2026 US Open; 2023 Australian Open), QF (2019, 2023 French Open; 2021, 2025 Wimbledon)
Sets Won/Lost: 15-3
Distance Run: 35.427 feet
Time Spent on Court: 12:30
Khachanov has executed a brilliant turnaround during this year’s US Open. He entered the tournament on a four-match losing streak and on the cusp of exiting the Top 50. But the former world No. 8 has been terrific since arriving in Flushing Meadows. He upset third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round and 14th seed Learner Tien in the fourth round, and his other three matches have been routine straight-setters. As a result, Khachanov enters his semifinal against Zverev having surrendered fewer sets and having spent three hours less on court than any of the other three men remaining (helped in part by Alexander Blockx retiring in the third set of their quarterfinal). For all his career success, Khachanov has never reached a Grand Slam singles final, and Zverev will undoubtedly be a tall task. Khachanov was able to clip Zverev in three sets in Toronto in 2025, but otherwise Zverev has dominated their recent encounters, winning their other four matches since 2021, all in straight sets.
