"Come on let's knock out Novak Djokovic" - Tennis fans react to Ben Shelton beating Frances Tiafoe to reach US Open SF

Ben Shelton defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 in an all-American clash to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. He also became the youngest American male to accomplish this feat in New York since Michael Chang in 1992.

Shelton's remarkable performance included a crucial set point save in the third-set tie-break, after which he seized control in the fourth set and wrapped up the victory. Incidentally, it was the first ever Major quarterfinal to feature two African-American men in the Open era.

The World No. 47 will face the formidable Novak Djokovic in the semifinals after the Serbian defeated Taylor Fritz in his quarterfinal clash.

Tennis fans were overjoyed by Shelton's victory against Tiafoe and took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their joy. One user believes that the 20-year-old will be the next American to win a Grand Slam title.

"HE WILL BE THE NEXT AMERICAN TO WIN A GRAND SLAM BOOKMARK THIS," the user wrote.

Another user praised Shelton and hoped that he would perform well against Djokovic.

"Young Ben but Big Ben! Hope he plays well against Djokovic too!" the user posted.

Another fan said:

"So another kid joins the club of next generation of Tennis stars!! Left indeed was right as Ben generated terrific power with his left hand to win the long rallies. The semi-finals looking like a surprising event with the chances of upset being high. A good #USOpen2023 so far."

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

---

"Definitely a tough challenge" - Ben Shelton on facing Novak Djokovic in US Open 2023 semifinals

Ben Shelton pictured at the 2023 US Open.

At a press conference following his victory over Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton spoke about his upcoming 2023 US Open semifinal against Novak Djokovic. He stated that facing the Serbian would be a "tough challenge" because he has more experience and is both physically and mentally tough.

"Yeah, definitely a tough challenge. I think that whenever you play somebody for the first time and someone who has been in this situation so many times and come out victorious so many times, that's in the back of your head," he said.

"You just know how, you know, rock solid the guy is and how mentally tough, how physically tough. So that's definitely something that I have to game-plan for," he added.

Shelton and Djokovic are scheduled to lock horns at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, September 9. With the two having never faced each other before, the head-to-head record between them currently stands at 0-0.