2023 U.S. Open Recap: Shelton Reaches Semifinals, Will Face Djokovic For Spot in Championship
The New York City dream continues for Ben Shelton.
The 20-year-old American powered his way into the semifinals of the U.S. Open on a steamy night in Queens, defeating fellow American Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 to book his spot in the final four.
“I think tonight was a real physical battle. That was the true test. You know, you have Frances Tiafoe on the other side of the court and you have the weather that you had in there,” said Tiafoe. “You know, it was pretty muggy, pretty hot. 75 percent of the match I think both of us were finishing points fairly tired, trying to catch our breath.”
Competing in just the fifth major main draw of his career, Shelton is now within one win of playing for the U.S. Open title.
Shelton and Tiafoe traded the first two sets, and the third set would head into a tiebreaker, where both players had opportunities to seize control of the match. First, Shelton had a set points at 6-5, only to serve up two double faults in a row which presented Tiafoe with a set point.
“You know, end of that third set is when I really had to dig deep. You know, I had a set point at 6-5, went up to the line with heavy legs and ended up double faulting two times in a row. Got a little bit lucky with the slap shot to get back in control of the breaker. And then, you know, I was just tough the last two points,” said Shelton. “I think that was the key for me tonight. Just being tough and being relentless, and knowing that I could go the distance physically no matter how bad it hurt. That was just kind of what I was sticking with.”
After taking that third set tiebreaker, Shelton carried that momentum into the third set. He served well and did not face a break point, and only committed three unforced errors, wrapping up his quarterfinal win in four sets.
Shelton will break into the Top 20 when the rankings are updated on Monday. But for now, he prepares for a Friday showdown with 23-time major champion Novak Djokovic.
“I think that whenever you play somebody for the first time and someone who has been in this situation so many times and come out victorious so many times, that’s in the back of your head,” said Shelton of Djokovic. “You just know how, you know, rock solid the guy is and how mentally tough, how physically tough. So that’s definitely something that I have to gameplan for.
I also think that it’s an advantage with my game style playing someone who’s never played me before. I think that I can bring some things to the table that maybe you don’t see in your normal match that you play on the ATP Tour. So I’m definitely going to try to bring some things to the table that are different and hopefully disruptive on Friday.”
Djokovic advanced earlier in the day as he overcame the brutal heat and humidity and the pro-American crowd as he defeated Taylor Fritz 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
“I think it was a great match again. We both struggled I think physically a lot, especially in the first set, set and a half. Very humid conditions. Just sweating a lot, you know, reaching for the towel basically more or less after every point,” said Djokovic. “But in the crucial moments I guess I managed to just stay tough and find the right shots, make him play always an extra shot. Make him run. I know that on the move he’s not really the most comfortable. I think I have done well, except a few games here and there where I struggled. But, you know, a very solid performance and I’m really pleased with the way I played.”
The other Men’s Singles semifinal will be determined on Wednesday. Top-seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will face off against 12th seed and former finalist Alexander Zverev, and third-seed and former champion Daniil Medvedev will face fellow Russian and eighth-seed Andrey Rublev.
