Top 3 US Open 2024 matches today ft. Ben Shelton vs Frances Tiafoe | Day 5
Day 5 of the US Open 2024 will mark the start of the third round. There have been quite a few upsets in the first couple of rounds, with Carlos Alcaraz's loss to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round being the most notable one. Four-time Major champion Naomi Osaka also crashed out in the second round.
Alacaraz's exit leaves Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev as the favorites to reach the final from the top half of the draw. The latter two are supposed to meet in the quarterfinals, unless they get knocked out in another surprising upset in New York.
There have been some incredible matches at the US Open across the first four days of the tournament. With some big names set to take to the court on Friday, there's room for further excitement. Here's a look at the most interesting matches set for Day 5 of the US Open:
#3 - Coco Gauff vs Elina Svitolina
Defending champion Coco Gauff will take on 27th seed Elina Svitolina in the first match of the day at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The American's title defense has been off to an impressive start. She beat Varvara Gracheva 6-2, 6-0 in the first round, and followed it up with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Tatjana Maria.
Svitolina looked down and out in the first round but staged a comeback to beat Maria Lourdes Carle 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in her opener. She was back to her best in the next round as she easily beat Anhelina Kalinina 6-1, 6-2.
The two have faced off twice prior to this. Svitolina came out on top in their first encounter at the Australian Open three years ago. Gauff evened the score by beating her older rival in three sets in the final of this year's ASB Classic.
Both are considered among the tour's finest athletes. Expect a lot of long rallies as they run down every shot in order to gain the upper hand. If their previous match is any indication, then this one could go down to the wire as well.
#2 - Novak Djokovic vs Alexei Popyrin
Defending champion Djokovic commenced his quest for a record 25th Major title with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win over Radu Albot. He led Laslo Djere 6-4, 6-4, 2-0 when the latter retired due to an injury. He will now face 28th seed Alexei Popyrin in the first match of the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Popyrin, meanwhile, reached the third round of the US Open courtesy of straight-set wins over Kwon Soon-woo and Pedro Martinez. He won his first Masters title at the Canadian Open a few weeks ago, that too by beating five top-20 players in a row.
Djokovic and Popyrin have crossed paths thrice so far, including on two occasions this year. Both of their meetings this year took place at the Majors, and the Serb needed four sets to dispatch his younger rival at the Australian Open as well as Wimbledon.
However, Popyrin will have more belief this time following his run at the Canadian Open. Djokovic is also on an eight-match winning streak which started with his triumph at the Paris Olympics. Their last two matches were quite entertaining, and this one is likely to be no different.
#1 - Ben Shelton vs Frances Tiafoe
One of the day's most high-profile matches is the third-round showdown between Shelton and Tiafoe. The two will contest the second match of the day session at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Shelton ousted former top-10 players Dominic Thiem and Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets. Tiafoe needed four sets to dispatch Aleksandar Kovacevic, and led Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 6-1, 1-0 when an injury forced the latter to call it quits.
Shelton has won both of his previous matches against Tiafoe. They met earlier this year in the Houston final, and the former beat the latter to win the title. He also knocked out his compatriot in the quarterfinals of last year's US Open.
Both made a deep run in New York last year, so going out at this stage would have a significant impact on the ranking of whoever comes up short. They're in good form at the moment as Shelton made the last eight of the Cincinnati Open, while Tiafoe advanced to the final. Expect them to play out another entertaining match as they seek to continue their journey at the US Open.