Ben Shelton stuns Frances Tiafoe in 'emotional' all-American US Open clash to reach first Grand Slam semi-final
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Updated 06/09/2023 at 07:05 GMT
Ben Shelton enjoyed another night to remember in New York as he ousted 10th seed and fellow American Frances Tiafoe to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final. The 20-year-old has enjoyed a sensational run at the US Open and now faces the daunting task of taking on Novak Djokovic for a place in the final. Shelton described an "emotional battle" after winning in four sets.
Highlights: Shelton and Muchova roar through to US Open semis for the first time
American sensation Ben Shelton roared into his first Grand Slam semi-final by beating compatriot Frances Tiafoe in four sets at the US Open on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old triumphed 6-2 3-6 7-6(7) 6-2 to stun his 10th-seeded opponent and become the youngest American to reach the final four in New York for 30 years.
Next he faces the daunting challenge of taking on 23-time major winner Novak Djokovic, 16 years his senior, for a place in the final at Flushing Meadows.
“It was a hot one in here, wasn’t it? I felt like I left it all out here tonight,” said Shelton. “It was an emotional battle.”
Victory also guaranteed Shelton a rise into the top 20, after starting his campaign ranked No. 47 in the world.
The youngster made the breakthrough in game five of the first set to take a 3-2 lead after seizing his third break point, and he made it a double break in a run of four straight games for an impressive 6-2 opener.
But the momentum swung in Tiafoe’s favour in set two as he broke for a 4-2 advantage before staying solid behind serve to level things up.
A topsy-turvy third set began with a break apiece, Shelton responding to Tiafoe, and it was then the 10th seed’s turn to respond as he broke straight back and consolidated with a hold for 3-3.
Tiafoe broke again to edge in front but once again Shelton bounced back instantly as the set headed for a tie-break.
Shelton teed up two set points, but couldn’t take the first and then produced back-to-back double-faults to hand set point on a plate to his opponent.
But the 20-year-old dusted himself down and produced a forehand winner to save it, before taking the next two points to claim the set.
“Sometimes you have to shut off the brain, close the eyes and just swing,” Shelton said of that moment.
“Maybe there was a little bit of that down set point, but it ended up working out.”
Shelton hit three winners to break Tiafoe in the opening game of set four and this time held for a two-game lead, which stretched to three with a double-break at 5-2 before he served out the match.
The youngster finished with 50 winners to Tiafoe’s 33 and landed 14 aces to deny his compatriot a second successive year of reaching the semi-finals in New York.
Next up is a titanic task against Djokovic, who brushed aside American No. 1 Taylor Fritz in straight sets earlier on Tuesday to continue his bid for a third major title of 2023.
“It doesn’t get much better than that,” Shelton said about facing Novak.
“It’s been tough the last two matches, playing against Americans, but hopefully you guys can bring it for me two days from now.”
The other semi-final will be set on Wednesday when top seed Carlos Alcaraz faces Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev takes on Andrey Rublev in the remaining quarter-finals.
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