US Open 2023: Frances Tiafoe vs Ben Shelton preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (10) Frances Tiafoe vs Ben Shelton
Date: September 5, 2023
Tournament: US Open 2023
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $65,000,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | Canada - TSN | UK - Sky Sports | India - Sony Sports
Frances Tiafoe vs Ben Shelton preview
Compatriots Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton are set up for a quarterfinal showdown at the 2023 US Open on Tuesday.
Tiafoe ousted Learner Tien, Sebastian Ofner and Adrian Mannarino to get to the fourth round, where Rinky Hijikata awaited him. While the two were on even footing for about half of the first set, the American pulled ahead as he claimed the last three game of the set to take it.
Tiafoe breezed through the second set as he dropped just one game to clinch the set. The two started the third set on a strong note, but the contest devolved into a break fest towards the end. Neither player was able to hold serve for the last five games, with the American gaining the upper hand to win 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.
Shelton moved past Pedro Cachin, Dominic Thiem and Aslan Karatsev to set up a fourth round contest against Tommy Paul. The 20-year old trailed 3-0 in the first set, but staged a turnaround to capture the opener.
Shelton tightened his grip on the match by securing the second set as well. He looked to be on course for a routine win as he led 4-1 in the third set, but Paul reeled off the next five games to claim it instead.
The two remained strong on serve for most of the third set. Paul served to stay in the match at 5-4, but that's when Shelton broke his serve to win the match 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
Frances Tiafoe vs Ben Shelton head-to-head
This will be the first time they play against each other, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Frances Tiafoe vs Ben Shelton odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Frances Tiafoe vs Ben Shelton prediction
Shelton overcame a third set stumble to reach his second Major quarterfinal in his first full season on the ATP tour. He fired 16 aces in the previous round, though his double fault count was slightly high at nine. The 20-year old's total unforced errors outnumbered his winners as well.
Tiafoe has quietly made his way through the draw, dropping just one set across his four matches so far. He played quite well against Hijikata until the end of the match, when he was unable to hold serve. The American rained down 15 aces and won 83% of his first serve points.
Instead of sticking to what was working, Shelton tired to switch things up against Paul which cost him the third set. His numerous net approaches didn't yield a favorable outcome most of the time. He dialled down the antics in the fourth set to get back on track.
Tiafoe and Shelton are both big servers and love to take charge of the points from the baseline. The former has been to a Major semifinal before, while the latter could feel some nerves trying to reach his first. Both are excellent shotmakers, though the World No. 10 will be expected to advance further on account of his prior experience.
Pick: Frances Tiafoe to win in four sets.