Ben Shelton faces the biggest test of his career on Sunday, trying to end the American men's Grand Slam title drought in the US Open final, where top seed Alexander Zverev chases the one that got away.
The 23-year-old Shelton has blazed his way into his first Grand Slam final, toppling defending champion and seven-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz in an epic five-set quarterfinal.
Shelton, seeded eighth, knocked out four other former top-10 players, including friend and compatriot Frances Tiafoe in an emotional semifinal.
"Obviously we're not done here," Shelton said after the win. "The job is not finished."
But the job is a massive one. Zverev is playing in his third straight Grand Slam final after winning his maiden major at the French Open and finishing runner-up at Wimbledon.
His Grand Slam breakthrough came six years after an agonising defeat in the 2020 US Open, where he was two points from victory but fell to Dominic Thiem in five sets.
"A lot has happened" in the time since, said Zverev, who for years carried the mantle of best player never to win a major. "Now that I've won one, it's OK."
World No 2 Zverev is right where he was expected to be in a tournament that started with top-ranked Jannik Sinner sidelined by injury and Alcaraz a question mark after more than four months away with a wrist injury.
But his path has been far from smooth. Zverev himself admitted that as he struggled in the first two rounds he thought the effort "pointless, because I'm not going to do anything here."
"The improvement has been quite dramatic," said Zverev, who nevertheless has not faced anyone ranked higher than number 22 Luciano Darderi in reaching the final.
EMBRACING THE MOMENT
He knows exactly what to expect from Shelton, an opponent the German has beaten in all five previous meetings.
"A big, powerful guy," Zverev said.
"Massive serve, massive groundstrokes. Everything he does is just big."
Shelton will also have the support of a raucous Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
Zverev, who played the 2020 final in front of empty stands, aims to embrace the chaos.
"I enjoy these kind of atmospheres," he said. "I played a lot of French guys in France. I played Australian guys in Australia. I played Arthur Fery in Wimbledon," he said.
"For me, a loud and energetic crowd is always great, as long as they're fair."
Shelton, for his part, says he knows he will have to conquer nerves, but he has more confidence in his game than ever in a season that has seen him win four titles this year.
He believes he has the tools to break through against Zverev and will not be weighed down by the history beckoning as he tries to become the first American man since Andy Roddick at the US Open in 2003 to win a Grand Slam.
He is also the first African American man to reach the US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and the first African American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996.
"I'm just excited to put it all on the line," Shelton said.
"I'm playing against the No 1 seed, Grand Slam final, playing against a Grand Slam champion trying to get my first.
"Knowing that I can leave it all out there on the court and push myself to the absolute limit in every way and see what I can do is an exciting, exciting thought."