Ben Shelton, a 20-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, is set to face one of the biggest challenges of his career. The unseeded American will lock horns against Novak Djokovic on Friday for a berth in the US Open final.

Will he be able to beat the 23-time Grand Slam winner?

Well, he doesn’t seem fazed by Djoko’s reputation on synthetic courts. Shelton has a bullet of a serve at 149 mph. He is quick and was able to outplay No 10 Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinal.

Shelton hit a forehand return winner off an 83 mph serve, preventing his French opponent from taking a 2-1 lead. He ultimately won 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2.

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“Sometimes, you’ve got to shut off the brain, close your eyes and just swing. Some may say ‘clutch,’ but I don’t know about all that,” Shelton said after the game. The 20-year-old had 14 aces but also hit 11 double faults.

He is aware of the giant he is up against in the semifinal. Djokovic beat Taylor Fritz in straight sets to move closer to his 24th Slam.

“He’s won maybe 23 of these? Something like that? It doesn’t get much better than that,” Shelton said.

The youngster added that Tiafoe has been like a brother to him. The Frenchman acknowledged that Shelton had an unbelievable return.

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Ben Shelton is now the youngest US male in the US Open semis since Michael Chang in 1992. He was 20.

“I’m thinking to myself as I’m walking to get my towel in the fourth set, and it’s like, ‘This is the greatest moment on the tennis court of my life, and I’m in a lot of pain physically. But I’m loving it. I think that was just kind of the story of today,” Shelton said.