US Open men’s semifinals: How to watch Tiafoe vs. Shelton for free, time

No matter the result of tonight’s semifinal, an American man will play in the finals at the US Open.

The semifinal slate continues tonight, Sept. 11, with an all-American showdown between No. 11 Frances Tiafoe and No. 8 Ben Shelton, marking the first time in the Open era (post-1968) that a Grand Slam semifinal will be contested between two Black men.

It’s neither of their first times in the US Open semifinals; Tiafoe also reached this stage in 2022 and 2024, while Shelton played in the semis in 2023. Both men reached the 2026 semifinals following long matches in the quarterfinal round.

Watch the US Open for free

• What: Men’s singles semifinals — No. 11 Frances Tiafoe vs. No. 8 Ben Shelton
• When: Sept. 11, 7 p.m. ET
• Where: Arthur Ashe Stadium (Flushing, New York) — get tickets
• How to stream for free: DIRECTV (five-day free trial)
• Channel: ESPN

Tiafoe advanced first following a five-hour thriller against close friend Alex Michelsen, where he came back from two sets down to win in the fifth set. Shelton also went five sets in his quarterfinal, where he defeated the defending US Open champion, Carlos Alcaraz, just after 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

The winner of the semifinal will advance to Sunday’s final, continuing his bid to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam in 23 years.

Frances Tiafoe vs. Ben Shelton semifinal start time

Tonight’s (Sept. 11) US Open semifinal between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET.

How to watch US Open men’s semifinals for free

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to tune in to the US Open men’s semifinals on ESPN.

DIRECTV is our favorite service for trying live TV for free. Right now, you can take advantage of a five-day free trial before saving $30 on your first month. We recommend the Choice plan, which includes ESPN as part of its 125+ channels.

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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.