NEW YORK — A rising tennis star born right here in Atlanta is making waves at the U.S. Open.
Ben Shelton, 20, advanced to the semifinals after a four-set win over fellow American Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday night.
With the win, Shelton became the youngest American to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since 1992.
The left-handed Shelton will now take on tennis legend and world No. 2 Novak Djokovic of Serbia on Friday with a chance to advance to the final. Djokovic has won 23 Grand Slam titles, including 3 U.S. Opens. Shelton was ranked No. 47 in the world ahead of the tournament.
Shelton’s dad is Bryan Shelton, a former Georgia Tech men’s tennis player and women’s tennis head coach. Shelton was an All-American at Georgia Tech in the 1980s and is in the Yellow Jackets’ Hall of Fame.
Bryan Shelton coached the Georgia Tech women’s tennis team to a national championship in 2007. He left in 2012 to become the men’s head coach at the University of Florida.
After his father was hired by Florida, the Shelton family moved to Gainesville from Atlanta.
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