John McEnroe Reacts As Ben Shelton Angrily Confronts Chair Umpire Over Controversial Call at US Open
· Yahoo Sports
Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe put on a show for the passionate crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, engaging in a fierce battle for a spot in the 2026 US Open final. In addition to the captivating on-court action, the match also produced moments of drama as Shelton did not hide his frustration with the chair umpire.
Why Ben Shelton Was Annoyed with the Chair Umpire During US Open Battle Against Frances Tiafoe
The match began in a closely fought fashion, with Tiafoe winning the opening set and Shelton battling back to clinch the second and level the scores.
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During a changeover before Tiafoe served at 2-1 in the third set, Shelton voiced a complaint to chair umpire Aurélie Tourte, arguing that she had allowed the 25-second serve clock to go past zero on three points during Tiafoe’s last service game.
Shelton then won the third set before drama resurfaced in the opening game of the fourth set. As the 23-year-old served to save a break point, Tiafoe hit a weak return that landed out. Shelton celebrated the point, only for Tiafoe to immediately approach the chair umpire and point out that he had signaled he was not ready for the serve.
Umpire Aurélie Tourte agreed with Tiafoe and called for the point to be replayed. She explained to Shelton that Tiafoe’s signal had gone unnoticed by him, much to the world No. 9’s indignation.
“He put his hand up and said sorry, sorry, sorry when you were about to serve,” she said.
However, a visibly irate Shelton argued that she should have informed him that Tiafoe was not ready before he served, rather than offering an explanation after the point was played and the shot was called out.
“Why did you not say something then? How are you going to call it out and then now say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You’ve got to say something immediately! Immediately!” Shelton argued.
John McEnroe, who was commentating on the match, sided with Shelton, saying, “He’s absolutely right. Because I didn’t see the hand. She’s having a tough day at the office.”
Shelton is not happy with Aurélie Tourte after she lets Tiafoe replay the point
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Shelton went on to seal a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory to advance to his maiden Grand Slam final. Despite the controversy, there was no lingering frustration as he opened up about the special experience of competing against Tiafoe at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“First on Foe, he’s like a big brother to me. To be honest, every time that we get to take this court together, Arthur Ashe, and play each other is super special. This is where we want to be at the tail end of this tournament. This is both of our favorite tournament in the world, our favorite court in the world. And to be able to light it up in front of you guys is the best feeling that there is,” Shelton said.
Ben Shelton will now shift his focus to preparing for his daunting showdown with Alexander Zverev in the US Open final. The American will be looking to secure his first win over Zverev, having lost all five of their previous tour-level encounters.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.