Shelton through to US Open final as he looks to end 23-year drought

Ben Shelton is through to the US Open final after defeating Frances Tiafoe. (Getty Images: Julian Finney, File)

Ben Shelton defeated Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in an all-American clash in the semifinals.

Alexander Zverev defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (8/6) to reach the final.

The men's final will be played on Monday morning, AEST.

American eighth seed Ben Shelton has the chance to end his country's long wait for another men's US Open champion after beating compatriot Frances Tiafoe to reach the final.

Shelton posted a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Tiafoe in the second semi-final and will play top seed Alexander Zverev in the final on Monday morning, AEST.

He showed plenty of energy after ousting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a quarterfinal match that ended at 3:33 am Wednesday, local time.

It was the latest finish to a match in US Open history.

Andy Roddick was the most recent American to win the men's US Open title, in 2003.

Zverev will play for his second major title this year after beating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (8/6) in the first semi.

Zverev, who had long been considered the best men's player without a major, finally broke through at the French Open this year. The German followed by reaching the Wimbledon final, which he lost to Jannik Sinner, and is 24-2 in grand slam matches this season.

"Sometimes just things go your way and I feel like I've had a lot of struggles at the major level. I was so close so many times and maybe this year God has said that this is going to be your year and just enjoy the time on the court," Zverev said.

Alexander Zverev on his way to a straight-sets win against Karen Khachanov. (Getty Images: Manuela Davies/USTA)

Now he will try to win the title that he still can't believe he let get away in 2020. Zverev won the first two sets against Dominic Thiem but then lost in a fifth-set tiebreaker, as Thiem became the first man to win the US Open title after dropping the first two sets since 1949.

Zverev was solid after going up two sets this time, and has won 13 consecutive sets after becoming the first number one-seeded man to play five-setters in each of the first two rounds of a major.

Khachanov was trying to reach his first major final after a surprising run in New York. He arrived with a losing record for the season but went on to reach his third grand slam semifinal, including second at the US Open.

He started playing better after dropping the first set and then falling behind 2-0 in the second. He finally broke Zverev's serve to tie it and it stayed even until they went to the tiebreaker. The Russian erased Zverev's first two set points in it before Zverev finished it off by winning a 34-shot rally.

Khachanov then had leads of 3-0 and 5-2 in the third-set tiebreaker before Zverev battled back.