Every time Ben Shelton, the 20-year-old Floridian thunderbolt, took the court at the U.S. Open this year he put on one of the greatest shows of the tournament.
He was a racket-waving highlight reel once more on Friday afternoon in the semifinals, playing the kind of tennis that could make every American fan pay homage to the spirit of “Big” Bill Tilden or whatever magical force led Shelton to pursue tennis instead of football as he became a teenager.
That second serve of 143 miles per hour, and the frightening forehand the kid ripped across the court.