Ben Shelton of the United States gestures to the crowd after defeating Frances Tiafoe of the United States on day nine of the 2023 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

Ben Shelton breaks out phone celebration after reaching US Open semifinals

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated 9/6/23

Ben Shelton had a lot to celebrate following his quarterfinal win at the U.S. Open on Tuesday night. The 20-year-old dispatched fellow American Frances Tiafoe in four sets at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York to advance to the semifinal round.

After winning the match, Shelton whipped out an imaginary phone and slammed it down as he pretended to hang it up.

The semifinals are calling, Ben Shelton! pic.twitter.com/1jI9JimZcU

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2023

The phone celebration isn’t new to Shelton. It has been one of his go-to celebrations in the past. He even influenced his US Open mixed doubles partner Taylor Townsend to get in on the act as well.

I’m sorry, but the old Taylor and Ben can’t come to the phone right now

Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend in their Reputation eras pic.twitter.com/AlWNIM4erP

— USTA (@usta) September 2, 2023

Shelton’s rendition after beating Tiafoe, however, felt like it was delivered with a little more gusto — and for good reason. Shelton became the youngest American male to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since 20-year-old Michael Chang made it in 1992.

Shelton has a serious challenge ahead of him if he hopes to answer his imaginary phone in the semifinals. 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic awaits Shelton in the penultimate round on Friday.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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