Frances Tiafoe Triumphs Over Ben Shelton in a Thrilling All-American US Open Rematch 2024
Frances Tiafoe triumphs against Ben Shelton thanks to her skill at the net and her ability to counterbalance Shelton’s strong serve in a five-set rematch at the US Open 2024.
At the US Open, Frances Tiafoe, the 20th seed, defeated Ben Shelton, his fellow American, in an exciting five-set match. Known for his charm and ability to connect with the fans, Tiafoe won 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3, and advanced to the fourth round for the seventh year in a row in a match that lasted more than four hours.
Paris Tiafoe adores being in the spotlight. like engaging with a large crowd. Loves the energy of being an American, especially at Arthur Ashe Stadium during the U.S. Open. Of course, winning matches in that setting and at that arena is what he enjoys doing the most.
Even though Tiafoe’s eye-catching victory on Friday came in the afternoon rather than the evening, and even though it happened in the third round rather than Week 2, it meant a lot to him. Add to that the added tension of a fifth set against a friend and countryman he lost to in the Flushing Meadows quarterfinals a year ago, Ben Shelton.
The 20th-seeded Tiafoe advanced to the Flushing Meadows fourth round for the fifth year in a row after winning their all-American rematch 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, and 6-3 in 4 hours and 3 minutes by handling Shelton’s massive serve and playing superbly at the net.
“Everyone who knows me well and my friends asked, ‘How come he doesn’t play at night?'” I have no idea how I’ll get there. Da, da, da. Blah, blah, blah. “The truth is, we’re not playing at night,” I said. It’s not that important. “I just want to win,” declared Maryland native Tiafoe, 26, whose greatest Grand Slam performance came in the 2022 U.S. Open semifinals.
He remarked, “It would have been cool at night.” “Hey, that was fantastic during the day. I believe it was a hit with all of them. Everyone that isn’t Shelton, the 13th seed, his teammates, and his supporters, of course.
“It was just one of those back-and-forth, back-and-forth situations,” Georgian Shelton, 21, remarked. “In the end, I was unable to take advantage of the opportunities I had.” He truly excelled in the crucial situations when he had them today.
After it concluded with a last, victorious stroke off Tiafoe’s racket, which he executed with such casualty that, in retrospect, he told Shelton, “Dude, it looked casual, but I was tight as hell.” The friends gathered at the net for an embrace and an extended conversation.
Shelton remarked, “It’s important to show that you can be happy for a guy when they beat you, sometimes.” When they played in 2023 at night, Shelton led 2-1 in the first set and ultimately prevailed in four. Tiafoe was behind 2-1 this time as well, but he never gave up.
Tiafoe might face 24-time Grand Slam victor Novak Djokovic next. The defending Flushing Meadows champion Djokovic faced No. 28 Alexei Popyrin in the third round on Friday.
Some believe that the long wait for an American men’s major champion may soon come to an end because Shelton and Tiafoe are among five Americans ranked in the top 20 of the ATP rankings. The last time an American man won a Slam title was Andy Roddick in the U.S. Open in 2003.
The current top-ranked American, No. 12 Taylor Fritz, advanced past Francisco Comesana 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 and will now face three-time Slam finalist Casper Ruud, who defeated Juncheng Shang in five sets after dropping the first two. Currently ranked No. 50, American Brandon Nakashima made progress against Wimbledon semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti, winning 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
The fourth-round men’s clash between No. 6 Andrey Rublev and No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov was announced on Friday.
Before Friday, Shelton, a left-hander, hadn’t dropped a set in his two victories this week and had hit 23 aces at a pace of 143 mph. However, Tiafoe converted five of his enormous 21 break points, the highest of any opponent against Shelton ever. In the fifth set, the final one made it 3-1.
Shelton stated, “Today was probably the best that anyone has returned my serve since I’ve been on tour.” Since joining forces with David Witt, the longtime coach of Venus Williams, Tiafoe has been concentrating on honing that facet of his game.
The other crucial Friday? Tiafoe continued to charge forward and finish volleys. When he reached the net, he won 35 of the 48 points. Tiafoe catered to the crowd as usual, letting loose his “Salt Bae” celebration after a point.
Tiafoe hasn’t always been a great five-setter: prior to Friday, he was just 6-13 in games that went the full distance. Shelton had a 6-2 stature. But that was all irrelevant this time. Shelton claimed that “he really started to fly once he got that lead in the fifth.”
