Shelton shines bright: Advances to first Grand Slam Semifinal with flawles triumph over Tiafoe

Ben Shelton dominated the match against Frances Tiafoe and secured a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4 victory, advancing to the US Open semifinals where he will face Novak Djokovic.

For the second time this year, Shelton reached the quarterfinals of the US Open, matching his performance at the Australian Open earlier in the year. In the fourth round, he defeated Tommy Paul, his opponent in Melbourne, and put behind him the inconsistent months he had after the first Grand Slam of the year.

And what better place than Flushing Meadows for the young star to shine again, this time against his compatriot Frances Tiafoe. World No. 10 only dropped one set in his first four matches, in the third round against the 22nd seed Adrian Mannarino. Tiafoe came in with the pressure of defending the semifinal he reached last year, where he fell to Carlos Alcaraz.

From the beginning of the match, it was Shelton who took the initiative and took more risks. The first break came in the fifth game of the first set when Shelton capitalized on his fourth break point and took a 4-2 lead. In total, World No. 47 won five consecutive games to take the set 6-2.

The second set was closely contested from the serve, although Tiafoe took advantage of Shelton's unforced errors to secure a break and a 4-2 lead, which he extended with his service to level the match at 6-3.

Greater inconsistencies followed, as in the third set, both players lost their serves three times, extending the match to a tie-break. Both had opportunities, but it was Shelton who produced two winning shots from the return to save a set point and then take the set.

Shelton's superiority became even more evident in the fourth set, where he grabbed the first break and held onto it. With a 4-2 lead, he secured another break and held his service to finish with a convincing 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 scoreline.

The victory ensured Shelton's rise to World No. 19, tying with Grigor Dimitrov, and he will seek his first Grand Slam final. In an unprecedented clash, he will face the 23-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who easily defeated Taylor Fritz.