ATP Tour

Shelton claws past Shapovalov in hard-fought US Open R3 win

Ben Shelton was pushed hard Friday night at the US Open, but kept his composure through some nervy moments to beat Denis Shapovalov 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in a third-round clash that spilled into the early hours of Saturday morning.

After clinching a topsy-turvy opening set, Shelton appeared in control of the second set when he twice had a chance to serve it out, at 5-4 and 6-5. But the American dropped serve on both occasions as Shapovalov raised his level to edge the tie-break to draw level and briefly swing the momentum in his favour.

Shelton, however, refused to let the setback derail him. Having struggled earlier in the match, the 23-year-old gradually lifted his intensity behind his serve and from the baseline, while also capitalising on a dip in Shapovalov's level in the third set. A return winner that barely caught the line helped Shelton secure an early break in the fourth set, and he seized control from there, finally clinching the victory at 2:08 a.m. local time.

"That second set was tough," Shelton said following his win. "I was serving for the set twice and ended up losing the set when I felt like I was in control. I really had to reset and refocus. It was important for me to get the next two sets and not be out here in a five-set war. I am happy with the way I recovered."

With his three-hour, 22-minute victory, the No. 9 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Shelton improved to 5-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the Canadian. The next test for Shelton in New York will be a fourth-round meeting with a resurgent Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Former World No. 3 Tsitsipas, who upset 10th seed Arthur Fils in the opening round, took down another seeded player Friday, when he ousted 18th seed Jiri Lehecka 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-1 in the third round. With the triumph, Tsitsipas, a two-time major finalist, advanced to the fourth round in New York for the first time in his ninth main-draw appearance at the tournament.

Elsewhere, 11th seed Frances Tiafoe delivered an all-around performance under the night lights on Louis Armstrong Stadium to dispatch Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 and reach the fourth round in New York for the sixth time.

Tiafoe struck 30 winners to 13 unforced errors and won 85 per cent (46/54) of his first-serve points, controlling the match from start to finish against Vacherot, who was bidding to become the first Monegasque to reach the fourth round at a major.

"Friday night at the US Open, it is pretty easy to be locked in on those kind of days," Tiafoe said in his post-match interview. “Happy to win this one in front of you guys [on Louis Armstrong Stadium]. It has been great coming out here playing on this court. You guys [the crowd] had an incredible energy. Let’s keep this thing going.”

With his one-hour, 59-minute triumph, the Cincinnati finalist notched his 40th tour-level victory of the season, joining Alexander Zverev (48) and Jannik Sinner (44) as the only three players to have earned at least 40 wins this season.

A semi-finalist in New York in 2022 and 2024, Tiafoe will aim to continue his run against the 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev, who is yet to drop a set this week in Flushing Meadows. Medvedev leads 6-1 in his rivalry with Tiafoe, having most recently defeated the American in Brisbane in January.

Earlier in the day, Medvedev continued his run by cruising past Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the fourth round in New York for the seventh time in the past eight years.