Althea Gibson broke the colour barrier in 1950. The Williams sisters changed the game — from competition to domination. Women have been at the forefront of Black athletes’ tennis legacy. When Francis Tiafoe and Ben Shelton take the court in New York on Friday, they will add a new chapter to the men’s story.It will be the first Grand Slam singles semi-final in the Open era featuring two Black American men. The winner will become the first Black American man to enter a Major final in 30 years — MaliVai Washington last did it at Wimbledon 1996.In fact, only four Black men across nationalities have ever reached a Grand Slam singles final: Arthur Ashe, Yannick Noah, Washington and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. One more name is set to join the list.Black players were not allowed at Slams until Gibson opened the door at the 1950 US National Championships. Reginald Weir had paved the way in 1948 by competing at the United States Lawn Tennis Association’s National Indoor Tournament.In the subsequent 78 years, while the women’s field has seen ample Black representation and titles, the men have hardly tasted similar success. Post the turn of the millennium, Tsonga and the soon-to-retire Gael Monfils flew the French flag high but finished without any Slams in their kitty. Félix Auger-Aliassime, Tiafoe and Shelton are the torchbearers among the current lot but are yet to find a breakthrough.Tiafoe has said in the past that he has had to work twice as hard to reach the elite level. “I definitely feel that not everybody wants to see that success in me. I feel like I’m taking something from someone that may have liked to do that,” he told CNN in 2022. “I felt that because ultimately, they don’t want us in power. I truly think that’s a thing.”Shelton had called out what he deemed to be a disrespectful race comment during the Australian Open last year. After his win against Monfils in the fourth round, interviewer Roger Rasheed remarked, “He’s (Monfils) almost your dad.” Shelton responded: “Was that a Black joke?” To which Rasheed replied, “I’m not sure.”Story continues below this adWhen Tiafoe and Shelton faced off at the US Open in 2023, it made for the first all-Black American quarterfinal in a Major. They have developed a bond since.Two Americans. One spot in the US Open men’s singles final pic.twitter.com/H27ZWtS1j4— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2026“You’ve been such an inspiration to kids, people of colour in our sport,” Shelton said of Tiafoe after a 2024 meeting. “You’ve been that guy to always put on for us and always be selfless, thinking about others, kids younger than you. So thanks for everything that you do for our sport and people who look like you and me.”Tiafoe and Shelton have both battled through draining five-setters to reach the US Open last four. The 11th seed got the better of Alex Michelsen in four hours and 39 minutes before Shelton dethroned Carlos Alcaraz in an all-time classic.They have had their share of battles outside the court too. Tiafoe’s parents fled Sierra Leone in the 1990s, when it was ravaged by civil war, and immigrated to the United States. Father Frances Sr got a job as a janitor in the Junior Tennis Champions Centre (JTCC) in Maryland. With his wife Alphina working multiple shifts as a nurse, they needed a nanny for their twin sons but could not afford one.So Frances Sr got permission for his family to stay at JTCC, and to bring his kids to work. That shaped their future as the twins would sleep on chairs and folding tables at the tennis centre, and find shelter in tennis from the age of four.Story continues below this adShelton, meanwhile, belongs to a mixed Black-Caucasian ethnicity. He only started playing tennis regularly at the age of 11 after giving up his fledgling junior career as a quarterback.Both his parents, Bryan and Lisa, are former tennis players. Bryan spent nine seasons on the ATP Tour before retiring after the US Open in 1997, with two ATP titles. He now coaches Ben full time while Lisa, an accomplished player in her junior days, works as a realtor.Tiafoe and Shelton’s performance this year has delighted women’s No. 4 Coco Gauff. The Black American, who recovered from a set down to beat Mirra Andreeva and enter the semis herself, said she was inspired by Tiafoe’s display.“On the men’s side, I never thought I would see, be able to have the chance to see, like an all-Black semi-final between the guys in my lifetime, honestly,” Gauff, 22, said. “Even growing up, just looking at who was playing, I just never thought that that would be able to happen. And to have me in the semis, I think it’s really cool.”Story continues below this adWhoever wins among Tiafoe and Shelton will be the first Black American finalist at Flushing Meadows since Ashe in 1972. The eponymous Arthur Ashe Stadium will be awaiting, with the lens of history snapping at them.