US Open news: Even Ben Shelton was starstruck playing in front of Jalen Brunson

Ben Shelton reached his first career Grand Slam final on Friday night, but the 23-year-old made clear afterward that holding his focus inside Arthur Ashe Stadium was its own battle. Speaking on court following his 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 win over fellow American Frances Tiafoe , Shelton admitted the celebrity-packed crowd nearly pulled his attention away more than once.

"It's not easy playing here on Arthur Ashe. You're playing in front of all your favorite athletes and movie stars," Shelton said after the match . "So to be able to keep your head down and focus for over three hours is not an easy task. I keep on looking up at the screen like, oh shoot, Jalen Brunson 's here."

Brunson was among a stacked list of names in attendance for the all-American semifinal. The Knicks captain, fresh off leading New York to its first NBA championship in 53 years and taking home Finals MVP honors, sat near longtime Knicks superfan Ben Stiller. Tennis legend Serena Williams was also in the building, along with actors Salma Hayek and Rami Malek and US women's soccer star Trinity Rodman, who is Shelton's girlfriend .

Despite the distractions, Shelton delivered when it mattered. After dropping a sloppy opening set in which he committed 14 unforced errors to Tiafoe's three, he leaned harder on his serve and finished with 20 aces and 47 winners. The turning point came in a grueling 19-point game to break Tiafoe and close out the third set, and Tiafoe never fully recovered from there.

The win carries enormous weight beyond Shelton's own career. He becomes the first Black American man to reach a US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and a victory Sunday would make him the first American man to win a major since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open, a drought that started before Shelton turned one. He is already guaranteed to climb to No. 4 in the world after entering the tournament ranked ninth.

Standing in his way is top seed Alexander Zverev , who is a perfect 5-0 against Shelton and has taken the past 10 sets between them, though the two have never met at a Grand Slam. If Shelton can handle the crowd the way he handled Tiafoe, he will have a chance to end 23 years of waiting for American men's tennis.