CNN
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No matter who won Tuesday’s US Open quarterfinal match between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, history was about to be made: For the first time, two black men faced off in a match.
Shelton came out on top in a milestone match, Annoying World No. 10 Tiafoe booked a semi-final clash with the 23-time Grand Slam winner 6-2 3-6 7-6(7) 6-2. Novak Djokovic.
It was the first time since 2008 that two black men played against each other at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It’s done. Almost two decades Since an American man won the US Open of tennis. And while most attention has been focused on whether 2023 will be the year. With the drought finally over, tennis fans are taking a moment to savor this historic match.
“This is something special, a cosmic event.” Art Carringtona former professional tennis player who now coaches the sport, told CNN before the match.
The personalities of Tiafoe and Shelton, he said, “are enriching the sport.”
The match between two rising tennis stars has also focused attention on black men playing tennis. Tiafoe, 25, and Shelton, 20, faced each other in a stadium. The black tennis legend who broke barriers. in the game
Arthur Ashe was the first African American man. No. 1 ranking in tennis and the first to win multiple titles in the sport, including singles titles at the US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon. He was also the first black American to play on the United States Davis Cup team.
Carrington, who ever was Ash’s practice partnertold CNN that it’s important for younger generations to see black men excel in tennis.
“We have to play tennis where it’s visible, where people can see (black) people playing,” he said.
He also said that while people know the story of Venus and Serena Williams’ tennis path, “we don’t hear enough family stories about just African-American men. This is a high point.”
Both Tiafoe and Shelton were surrounded by the sport at an early age.
A child of Sierra Leonean immigrants, Tiafoe And his family lived in a junior tennis champion center where his father worked as a maintenance man. A few years later, he enrolled in a tennis clinic at the center.
In 2022, he Became the first black American. First US Open semifinalist since Ashe in 1972.
Shelton is Following in his father’s footstepsBrian, a tennis champion who won two professional titles and played on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour.
Earlier this year, Shelton’s father resigned from coaching at the University of Florida to coach his son in professional tennis.
For young black Americans, exposure to tennis is essential to the sport, Carrington said. He said it was up to the older generations to instill their love for the game.
But before Tuesday’s match, Carrington said if he were coaching Tiafoe and Shelton, he would tell them not to dwell on the weight of the historic moment.
“Try to enjoy yourself,” he said. “Don’t play with stress. Let stress go.”