ATP Tour

Shelton, Tiafoe make moves in Live Race following US Open

Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe have significantly increased their respective Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes following runs at the US Open.

Shelton is up three spots to third in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin after advancing to his first major final in New York. The 23-year-old defeated a Top-3 opponent for the first time in his career when he overcame the two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.

However, the lefty fell just short of becoming the first American man to win a Slam since Andy Roddick at Flushing Meadows in 2003, losing to Alexander Zverev in four sets in the final. Shelton leaves New York holding a 39-14 record on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

The American successfully defended his title at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Canada, while he has also lifted trophies in Dallas, Munich and Stuttgart in 2026. Shelton is aiming to make his second consecutive appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, having gone 0-3 last year.

Shelton will hope to stamp his ticket to Turin in the next month, and is next set to compete in Tokyo at the start of October. The ATP 500 event holds fond memories for Shelton, who won his maiden tour-level trophy at the tournament in 2023.

PIF ATP Live Race To Turin (Post US Open)

Tiafoe is also well placed to make his debut in Turin after reaching his third major semi-final at the US Open. The 28-year-old is up two places to sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and enjoyed a successful North American hard-court swing overall, also reaching the final at the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati.

In New York, Tiafoe defeated 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the fourth round and then rallied from two sets down to oust Alex Michelsen in the quarter-finals. After winning the first set against Shelton in the pair’s semi-final, Tiafoe was unable to finish the job and reach his first major title match. Shelton now leads Tiafoe 4-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Heading into the Asian swing – which culminates with the Masters 1000 event in Shanghai – Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils and Daniil Medvedev are currently inside the Top-eight qualification cut. Rafael Jodar, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex de Minaur and Jakub Mensik remain in contention from ninth to 14th, while record seven-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Novak Djokovic has dropped to 15th after losing in the first round in New York.

Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz will all compete at the Nitto ATP Finals, having already qualified for the prestigious year-end event, to be held from 15-22 November.