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Ben Shelton vs Frances Tiafoe: US Open – First round
Two former US Open semifinalists and fan favorites Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe will face each other in the third round of the tournament.
Ben Shelton Profile
Ben Shelton has the highest ranking of his career being No. 13 in the world. The American is 32-19 for the season and 18-10 on hard surface.
He is coming off a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Roberto Bautista Agut after previously defeating the former US Open champion, Dominic Thiem, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
Earlier this season, Shelton won the title in Houston and reached the semifinal in Aucklnd, Dallas and Washington.
Last year, he made the greatest success in his young career reaching the semifinal in New York where he lost to Novak Djokovic.
Frances Tiafoe Profile
Frances Tiafoe is currently 20th in the ATP rankings, ten spots lower than his career high. The American is 26-22 for the season and 17-12 on hard surface.
Tiafoe is coming off a 6-4, 6-1, 1-0 win over Alexander Shevchenko in the second round. In the first one, he defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
Last week, Tiafoe made it to the final in Cincinnati where he lost to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. That was his second final of the year after he lost to Ben Shelton in Houston.
In 2022, Tiafoe reached the semifinal at the US Open and lost to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets.
Head-to-Head Shelton leads 2-0
- Shelton vs Tiafoe 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 (2024 ATP Houston, final)
- Shelton vs Tiafoe 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2 (2023 US Open, quarterfinal)
Prediction and Conclusion
Last year, these two players faced each other in the quarterfinal of the US Open when Ben Shelton won in four sets. He was also the better one in the final in Houston this season, and that makes him the favorite in this match as well. However, Tiafoe is in great form, making it all the way to the final last week in Cincinnati. His confidence is on high level, so we go with Tiafoe to cover the +1.5-set spread.
