US Open – QF: Ben Shelton wins the American duel against Tiafoe and joins Djokovic in the semi-finals
Ben Shelton beat Frances Tiafoe in four sets (6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2) to reach the semi-finals
Tonight in New York, 20-year-old American Ben Shelton, ranked 47th in the world, delighted the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd with a fine performance against his compatriot Frances Tiafoe. With this 6-2 / 3-6 / 7-6 / 6-2 victory in 3 hours 10 minutes, he joins Novak Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals.
His level of play is spectacular, and his ascent meteoric. At just 20 years of age, American Ben Shelton was playing in his second Grand Slam quarter-final last night (after the Australian Open in January). His victory over Frances Tiafoe, ranked 10th in the world, earned him a place in the semi-finals of the New York major. He is the youngest American to achieve this feat since Michael Chang in 1992 (beating Wayne Ferreira in the quarters, who is now one of Shelton’s coaches).
As he had done against Tommy Paul in the last 16 and in previous rounds, Ben Shelton showed off his incredible server skills, with 14 aces (for 11 double faults). Like his serve, the Atlanta native takes a lot of risks, with a very offensive game. Over the four sets, he scored 50 winners to 34 unforced errors (Frances Tiafoe, who didn’t play at his best, scored 33 winners to the same number of unforced errors). Among his many highlights, Shelton delivered this exceptional point:
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A mountain to climb
Having already achieved the feat of reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open earlier this year, Ben Shelton is now raising the bar a little higher. In addition to qualifying for his first Grand Slam semi-final, and on home soil no less, the Atlanta native has earned the right to challenge the world’s new number 1, Novak Djokovic. This clash of generations takes place on Friday. Shelton will have to overcome a veritable mountain if he hopes to reach the final. The Serb will be the overwhelming favorite, as he seems so unplayable at the moment. The American won’t be able to afford any leaps of concentration, which is currently his main weakness.
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