Ben Shelton identified fellow American Frances Tiafoe as a formidable threat to the tennis field, despite Tiafoe currently being ranked just outside the top 10 at world No 11. Shelton emphasized the danger Tiafoe poses if he maintains his recent form, saying, “That’s scary for the rest of the field. He’ll even say it himself.”
The pair clashed in the quarter-finals of the Citi DC Open, an ATP 500 event, with Shelton edging a close 7-6(2), 6-4 victory. Shelton’s win marked a turnaround from their previous encounter at last year’s US Open, giving him a 3-1 lead in their personal rivalry.
Reflecting on Tiafoe’s progress, Shelton remarked, “He’s one of those guys who can turn the switch on whenever he wants it, and you guys are seeing more and more weeks every year that he’s playing his brand of tennis, really good tennis. He used to be a guy who’d show up in the American hard-court swing and a few other times during the year, and those would be his big moments. The guy’s making quarterfinals at Roland Garros now, and people are in trouble.”
Tiafoe achieved a career-high ranking of No 10 in mid-2023 and recently reached his first French Open quarter-final, where he lost to Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in four sets. With two semi-final appearances in three Grand Slam events, Tiafoe will be defending a significant 720 points at the upcoming US Open.
During their match in Washington, Shelton proved the more consistent player, winning 90% of his first serve points and 68% on his second. He created 10 break points compared to Tiafoe’s single opportunity, underscoring his dominance on crucial moments.
Analysing his performance, Shelton said, “I think obviously this court does a lot for my serve. The ability to get the ball out of the zone is huge, especially against a guy like Foe, who is so good in the pocket. So my ability for my flat serves not only to be coming in at 145 but also rising above his shoulders is huge. Second serve, too. He’s one of the best in the world when he’s locked in, attacking second serves and making you feel like you’re on the back foot, taking a second serve and coming to the net. My winning percentage on second serve was probably the highest that it’s ever been against him. My aggressive brand of serving, and then I was willing to take chances on the return of serve, and I executed a lot. So I think that combination was kind of tough to deal with in these conditions.”
Shelton’s next opponent will be Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who secured a win over top seed Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals. Davidovich Fokina holds a 2-0 head-to-head advantage over Shelton, with victories in the 2023 Paris and 2025 Monte Carlo Masters tournaments.