Divided loyalty? Frances Tiafoe expects strong home support against Ben Shelton at DC Open

Frances Tiafoe is gearing up for an all-American clash against Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals of the DC Open. A large local crowd is expected to turn out and support two of their top representatives on the ATP Tour.

With both players in the top 11 and conditions favoring their games, this will be a key duel where both emerge as title contenders. The draw, announced a week ago for the first ATP 500 of the North American hardcourt swing, set up an early quarterfinal meeting between two of the local stars.

Shelton arrived as the 4th seed and secured straightforward wins against Mackenzie McDonald (WC) and Gabriel Diallo (15th), both in straight sets and without major complications. The 22-year-old American is already at No. 7 in the live rankings, his highest position to date.

Tiafoe, the 6th seed, has also advanced through the tournament, though not without difficulties. He survived an inspired Aleksandar Kovacevic, who is enjoying the best moment of his career, with "Big Foe" claiming the victory in three sets. He then overcame 9th seed Flavio Cobolli, another young star in good form after reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals. The American had no major problems eliminating the 23-year-old Italian in straight sets.

American fans will have the opportunity to watch two of their best players: the American No. 2 and No. 3, both only behind the impressive Taylor Fritz, who has led the North Americans in the rankings for years and is currently No. 4.

Both players are notably charismatic and arguably among the most beloved on Tour. With home-court advantage for both, the crowd could be divided in their support, though for Tiafoe, there's no doubt the support will lean his way. "I mean, obviously, I mean, they’ll be cheering for him, but let’s pump the brakes," Tiafoe chuckled. "I think a lot of the crowd will still be for me."

The 27-year-old player was born in Hyattsville, Maryland, in the Washington D.C. area, and trained throughout his early junior career at College Park in Maryland, where his father worked as a maintenance head. For this reason, Tiafoe acknowledges that he may be the most supported player due to his roots in the city. "Obviously he will get a lot of support, no question, but the crowd will definitely be going my way. I’m not too worried about that."

The good relationship between both players, both on and off the court, has been seen many times. They have faced each other on three occasions, with Shelton leading the head-to-head 2-1. Two of their encounters were at the US Open, with one victory for each, in addition to challenging each other in the final of the Houston Open in 2024, where Shelton claimed his first clay-court title.

Tiafoe spoke about his friendship with Shelton, one of his close friends on Tour. "We are such good friends. Our girlfriends finally met. Yeah, we have had a lot of battles obviously. Davis Cup, Laver Cup. We hang out. We have fun together always," Tiafoe added.

"We’re in a battle, man. With that friendship, we have a great rivalry, and we don’t want to lose to each other. We have a lot of bragging rights when we’re talking s**t. It’s great, man. It’s great."

Tiafoe recently commented upon his arrival at the DC Open about the strong moment American tennis is experiencing. While the women currently have five players in the top 11 – including two Grand Slam champions: Coco Gauff (French Open) and Madison Keys (Australian Open).

Without the same Grand Slam successes, the American men have maintained consistency in recent seasons, with several of their representatives fighting in the most important tournaments. "American tennis is in a great spot. And we have been knocking on the door for a while. I don’t think this is something new. Ben’s going deep in slams. Fritz going deep in slams. Tommy (Paul) is going deep in slams."

"Not really surprising. Now you look at the slams, someone is going to be there at least pushing quarters, semi-finals. Fritz was the one final. So it’s been good."