In the semi final of the ongoing US Open quater-finals on Tuesday, Ben Shelton of United States of America defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-2 3-6 7-6(7) 6-2 and reached the semi finals of the tournament. In an all-American match up which certainly lived up to its hype and also embraced the fans who witnessed this clash. With his victory, Shelton, 20, became the nation’s youngest player since Michael Chang in 1992 to advance to the men’s final four of the US Open, setting up a match with 23-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic.
There aren’t many athletic events in New York that generate as much excitement as an all-American matchup at the conclusion of the season’s final Grand Slam under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Even while the energy at a night session is generally high, it was amplified for Tiafoe and Shelton since their match was the first on the biggest tennis court in the world to include two Black American men in 15 years.
‘Feeling like I left it all out here tonight’ – Ben Shelton
In the opening round of the 2008 US Open, James Blake and Donald Young squared off on Arthur Ashe, but the odds were much higher on Tuesday since the victor would advance to meet Djokovic for a spot in the championship match on Sunday as well as the chance to end a 20-year championship drought.
“Feeling like I left it all out here tonight. Emotional battle and thanks all you guys for staying so late. Hell of an atmosphere. Thanks for pushing me over the line. He (Djokovic) has won 23 of these (Grand Slams), it doesn’t get much better than that. It’s been tough the last two matches, I’ve been playing Americans but hopefully you guys bring it for me two nights in a row,” Shelton said.
The tenth seeded Tiafoe, who last year enthralled the local audience by making it all the way to the semifinals, had only dropped one set en route to that point, but it didn’t take Shelton longer to take the next set. Shelton started off fierce, his ground attacks delivered with such ferocity the packed audience gasped. Tiafoe had no answers for Shelton’s devastating forehand after holding both of his initial serves, as Shelton won five straight games to take the opening set.
