Ben Shelton vs. Frances Tiafoe Livestream: How to Watch the U.S. Open Men’s Semifinal Online Free

Both American men will be looking to advance to their first-ever Grand Slam final

Two of the country’s biggest tennis stars face off in Queens tonight for a chance to make it to the 2026 U.S. Open Final.

Frances Tiafoe takes on Ben Shelton in a semifinal match scheduled for 7 p.m. ET tonight live from Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows. Both men will be looking to advance to their first-ever Grand Slam final.

This is the first time two Black American men have played each other in the tournament’s semifinal. The tennis match also takes on extra meaning as the two U.S. players meet at center court in New York on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

At a Glance: How to Watch Shelton vs. Tiafoe 2026 U.S. Open

• Channel: ESPN
• Streaming: DirecTV (free trial), Fubo (free trial), ESPN
• Date: Friday, Sept. 11
• Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
• Tickets: Ticketmaster, StubHub, VividSeats

Tiafoe and Shelton’s tennis match will air live at 7 p.m. ET tonight on ESPN so you can watch the men’s semifinal on TV with any cable package that includes ESPN.

How to Watch Shelton vs. Tiafoe Online Free

Cut the cord? There are also ways to find a Shelton-Tiafoe livestream online, including ways to watch the U.S. Open tennis match online for free.

TOP PICK

DirecTV

DirecTV is a live streaming service that carries a live feed of ESPN plus 60 other channels on its MySports Genre Pack. Pricing starts at $44.99/month but you can test drive the service with a five-day free trial here.

Use the free trial to watch the Shelton vs. Tiafoe match online free without cable. Continue on with one of DirecTV’s streaming packages or cancel before the free trial is up without being charged.

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Fubo

I’ve personally been using Fubo for years as a way to stream live sports online without needing a cable package. Fubo also carries ESPN on its channel lineup and the streamer also offers a free trial that you can use to livestream tonight’s men’s tennis semifinal online free.

What I like: Fubo’s free trial includes DVR so you can record the match to watch back on-demand if you can’t tune in live.

Both of the above streaming services let you livestream Tiafoe vs. Shelton on your phone, computer, tablet or smart TV. While there are free streaming links on Reddit, the only official live feed is through ESPN (which is available via DirecTV or Fubo).

Tiafoe vs. Shelton Predictions, Odds

The 11th-ranked Tiafoe and 8th-ranked Shelton have played four previous matches against one another, with Shelton holding a 3-1 edge. Shelton defeated Tiafoe at the U.S. Open in 2023, but the results were reversed a year later.

Tiafoe had a relatively easy run to the semis, with 7th-ranked Daniil Medvedev being the only higher seed he faced. Shelton, meantime, is coming off a huge five-set win over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in Tuesday’s late night quarterfinal.

Oddsmakers have Shelton as the favorite in tonight’s match. The winner in the Shelton vs. Tiafoe semifinal will be up against either Alexander Zverev or Karen Khachanov in Sunday’s final (that match had not been completed at the time of this article’s publication).

Watch the Shelton vs. Tiafoe U.S. Open semifinal match online free with DirecTV here.