Ben Shelton said he is enjoying being in unfamiliar territory after reaching the first Grand Slam final of his career at the US Open. The American believes greater consistency has helped him make his breakthrough in New York.Shelton defeated fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday (local time) to book a place in the final against top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany.The 23-year-old is now one win away from ending the United States’ 23-year wait for a men’s singles Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003. He is also aiming to become the first Black American man to win the US Open title since Arthur Ashe in 1968. Shelton, however, is still looking for his first win over Zverev in their sixth meeting.“This whole tournament at this point has been unchartered territory,” Shelton told reporters, as quoted by news agency Reuters. “I’m in positions I’ve never been in before. I’ve beaten guys that I’ve never beaten before. I’m just excited to put it all out on the line.”“I can think about how cool this moment is and what I’m playing for. At the end of the day, I’m here in New York, I’m hanging out with my team, I’m with my homies playing a little bit of tennis and I’ve been able to downplay the moment well.“I’ve got great people around me that keep me grounded and focused and humble, and I think these moments I want to cherish, I don’t want to take lightly. But at the same time, it’s very business-like the way I’ve been going about it.”Shelton admitted he will be nervous ahead of the biggest match of his career but said that is something he has learned to embrace.“The nerves are always there,” he added.“It’s something that you’ve got to lean into. The nerves are as much there in the first round for me as in the semis, and I’m sure the finals will be the same.“It’s something you’ve got to be able to overcome, but I’m having fun, you know I’m playing against the number one seed, playing against a Grand Slam champion trying to get my first.“It’s a lot of reasons that this is an enjoyable moment for me. Knowing I can leave it all on court and push myself to the absolute limit … and see what I can do is an exciting thought.”
