(August 30, 2024) FLUSHING, NY – Frances Tiafoe avenged a loss last year in the quarterfinals to Ben Shelton on Arthur Ashe. This year the two Americans met in the third round on Ashe again but this time Tiafoe outlasted his younger foe on Friday at the 2024 US Open 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 to move through to the fourth round in 4 hours and 3 minutes.
“I’ve got to say, Ben’s an incredible player, man,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview with fellow pro Chris Eubanks. “He’s an incredible player. He really is. He goes for all kind of shots. He’s got no care in the world. It’s really annoying. … He’s really talented. He can come up with great shots. So can I.”
“It’s highlight after highlight. I hope you guys enjoyed the show,” he said to spectators.
“Great performance, man,” Tiafoe said to open his news conference. “Great battle ultimately, all in all. I think, yeah, I think I returned exceptional today. I thought I made a lot of returns, made him play a lot.
“I think that’s something I have really improved on since I’ve hired David Witt, focusing a lot on that. That paid a lot of dividends. I wished I served better throughout the match but I served really well at the end, and that’s kind of what counts. That’s probably the only thing I could critique.
“Ben’s an incredible player, man, and he comes up with the goods a lot. It was definitely a tough match.”
great performance, man. Great battle ultimately, all in all. I think, yeah, I think I returned exceptional today. I thought I made a lot of returns, made him play a lot.
I think that’s something I have really improved on since I’ve hired David Witt, focusing a lot on that. That paid a lot of dividends. I wished I served better throughout the match but I served really well at the end, and that’s kind of what counts. That’s probably the only thing I could critique.
Ben’s an incredible player, man, and he comes up with the goods a lot. It was definitely a tough match.
“But I think, I’m not just saying this because we just spoke in the locker room, but I think the level was a lot higher this year than we played last year throughout the five sets.
“Ultimately a great performance, something I’m really happy about.”
“I thought he played lights-out today,” Shelton said of his opponent. “That was one of the things you’ve got to be happy for a guy and congratulate, especially a guy like him when he’s playing the way he’s playing.
“I think that it’s important to show it sometimes that, you know, you can be happy for a guy when they beat you. Obviously there are some things I want to do better. I’m a competitor. I always want to win.”
“Obviously I thought it was a great match,” said the 21-year-old Shelton.”I thought I did a lot of really good things throughout the five sets. You know, there’s two big opportunities that are kind of replaying in my mind I wish I had back. And other than that, you know, congrats to Foe. Too good. I thought once he got that lead in the fifth, he really started to fly.
“I think I can take some positives from this match, but yeah, definitely a few shots I want back.”
“it didn’t feel like a third-round match,” Shelton said. “Felt like one of those that you play late in the two weeks. Should have been a night match, but it is what it is.
“But yeah, a great atmosphere. It was just one of those back-and-forth, back-and-forth, and I wasn’t able to capitalize on the chances I had in the end, and when he had them today, he really came through in the big moments.
“I thought since I’ve been on tour, today was probably the best that anyone has returned my serve that I have seen. From early in the match, there was one where I went big out wide, like 130, and he cracked it down the line clean, hit the baseline, and I was, like, Oh, one of those days.”
Tiafoe will play the winner og the Novak Djokovic and Alexi Popryrin match.
Asked about playing one them in the next round, Tiafoe said: “I’m probably playing the best tennis of my life right now. He’s always been really talented. He’s starting to put it together.
He’s got (Xavier) Malisse with him and stuff like that, and Neville Godwin. He’s been working really hard. He’s a great guy, great player. Obviously he’s going to be tough. You don’t expect anything easy at this point.
“He just won a Masters Series a little bit ago. He’s going to play Novak tough. I don’t even know what the score is. They just went out there. It’s going to be tough. He’s going to serve big, big forehand, come to the net, do all those things. You have to be ready.
“Nole, I don’t think I really need to stroke him, his ego. He’s Novak, like, he’s done everything in the game. I mean, it’s incredible to even be out here, to be honest with you. If I did what he did after a gold medal, I’m just staying in Serbia, chilling, drinking like crazy.
“That’s why he is who he is, right? He’s an unable guy too. Me and him crack jokes all the time. I really like that dude. Yeah, man, 37, want to come back out here? That’s insanity, but hey, man, to each his own.”
More to follow….
