The US Open third-round clash between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe lived up to its promise, delivering a scintillating five-set thriller. One of the highlights was when Ben Shelton was captured attempting a skyhook shot, similar to Rafael Nadal, during the first game of the second set.
On Friday (August 30), the all-American clash saw Frances Tiafoe come out on top as he defeated his compatriot 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 to progress to the fourth round of the US Open.
During the match, Ben Shelton returned a backhand from Tiafoe while leaping to successfully hit a high backhand volley, mimicking Rafael Nadal’s signature skyhook shot.
While Shelton’s shot was a moment of brilliance, the match belonged to Frances Tiafoe, and this was the first Grand Slam in 2024 where the latter reached the second week.
The 26-year-old complimented his compatriot’s performance, saying:
“Ben is an incredible player. He really is. He goes for all kind of shots. It is really annoying. He has a great serve and he is so talented. We are both good players. I hope you guys enjoyed the show.”
Ben Shelton spoke about adapting to tournament conditions like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic do
While speaking at a press conference before the 2024 US Open, Ben Shelton opened up about drawing inspiration from the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer, when it came to adapting to different conditions across tournaments.
“I think that the greats who have won many, many, many titles, namely Roger and Novak and Rafa, they can adapt. They can win Roland Garros and not play a tournament, and then go win or be in the finals of Wimbledon,” he said.
Shelton also spoke about how he adapted quickly to the conditions at the Cincinnati Open, where he defeated Reilly Opelka, Tomás Martín Etcheverry, and Fábián Marozsán, before being knocked out in the quarterfinals by Alexander Zverev. This was his best performance at a Masters tournament this season.
“One of the things that I loved about the way I played in Cincinnati is it was difficult conditions. Really fast court. A lot of wind, not easy for anyone to play there. There was a lot of complaints about the conditions there and I thought that I did a great job adapting and adjusting,” he said.
Ben Shelton’s US Open defeat marks his 20th of the 2024 season out of 52 matches so far. The 21-year-old won the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston while reaching the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open. He has reached at least the third round at every Grand Slam this year, with his best performance being a fourth-round showing at Wimbledon.
