NEW YORK, Sept 9 (Reuters) - ⁠Coco Gauff cheered on the historic success of her fellow Black Americans at the U.S. ⁠Open on Wednesday, where Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe were poised to make history when ‌they face off in the semi-finals.

Eighth-seed Shelton and 11th-seed Tiafoe are the first Black American men to face off in the semi-final of a Grand Slam in the Open Era, breaking barriers in a sport that has long been overwhelmingly white. Their ​semi-final clash is on Friday.

"On the men's side, I never thought ⁠I would see, be able to have ⁠the chance to see, like an all-Black semi-final between the guys in my lifetime, honestly," said the ⁠22-year-old ‌Gauff, who recovered from a set down to beat Mirra Andreeva and reach the penultimate stage of the women's singles draw.

"Even growing up, just look at who was playing, I just never ⁠thought that that would be able to happen. And to have ​also me in the semis, ‌I think it's really cool."

Shelton and Tiafoe became the first Black American men in 15 ⁠years to meet on ​Arthur Ashe Stadium when they played each other in the 2023 quarter-finals, a moment that was hailed as a key sign of progress for Black athletes on the court named for the sport's great pioneer.

Three years later, the ⁠two have made significant inroads in tennis, with Tiafoe reaching the ​semi-final in New York in 2024 and Shelton picking up two Masters 1000-level prizes, including last month in Montreal.

"Obviously I have so much respect for both Ben and Frances, so I'm just rooting for a good ⁠match, and hopefully whoever wins can bring it home," said Gauff, the 2023 winner and who will play second-seed Elena Rybakina next.

Gauff took inspiration from Tiafoe, a longtime friend, as she saved two match points to get past Andreeva on Wednesday, citing his come-from-behind win over Alex Michelsen on Tuesdayas motivation.

"Frances is such ​a light and such a joy to have on tour," said Gauff. "He's ⁠a special type of person, and I think that everybody, almost everybody on tour, can agree that he's ​one of the few players who is always lighting up ‌the room and giving respect towards, especially us women ​too, like hyping us up.

"I think that's something really special. He's a rare person in this world and in this sport."

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Neil Fullick)