“I plan on being in the semifinal,” Frances Tiafoe sends a STERN warning to Ben Shelton ahead of ‘electric’ All-American clash at the US Open

Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe to clash in the Quarter-finals on September 5.

“I plan on being in the semifinal,” Frances Tiafoe sends a STERN warning to Ben Shelton ahead of ‘electric’ All-American clash at the US Open

Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe (Images via: Racquet Magazine/The New York Times)

Tenth seed Frances Tiafoe has made it to the quarter-finals, beating his Australian opponent on Sunday night. Up against him in the next round will be another American person of color, Ben Shelton.

USA will now gear up for a ‘Battle of Americans’ as the two men clash for a spot in the semi-finals. Tiafoe had reached the semi-finals at the US Open last year, only to lose to the eventual winner, Carlos Alcaraz. Reflecting on his plans to reach the Round of 4 again this year, Tiafoe sent out a warning to the 20-year-old Ben Shelton ahead of their clash.

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Talking about his upcoming on-court meeting with Shelton, Tiafoe said, “It’s a big match. He’s Bugs Bunny. He’s got crazy endless energy. He’s gonna come after me. I’m gonna come after him,” in an interview post his win over Hijikata. “It’s gonna be a great battle. We’re gonna compete really hard. I plan on being in the Semi-Finals,” he added.

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The 25-year-old thrashed his Australian counterpart, Rinky Hijikata‘s plans of playing in the Round of 8. Tiafoe secured a win over Hijikata in straight sets. He scored an easy 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 victory to book his spot in the top 8 at the Open. Ben Shelton, on the other hand, beat fourteenth seed Tommy Paul in four sets. Paul lost to Shelton with a score of 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6.

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Shelton(L), Tiafoe(C), Taylor Fritz(R)
Shelton(L), Tiafoe(C), Taylor Fritz(R) (Images via: Andscape/Sports Illustrated/ Sportsnet)

Frances Tiafoe will be across the net to another American, Ben Shelton, as the two prepare for a fierce fight. The duo is joined by another American, World No. 9, Taylor Fritz in the quarters of the Grand Slam.

Tiafoe, who was a Semi-finalist at the 2022 US Open, is looking forward to reaching the final four again this year. At the same time, Shelton, who’s coached by his father, African-American former professional Bryan Shelton, is playing his first tournament at the Flushing Meadows.

With his advance to the Quarter-finals, he has become the youngest male to reach the quarters of the Open since Andy Roddick did so over 2 decades ago. With three of the final 8 men being Americans, the country stands a good chance to break its 20-year winless streak at the Flushing Meadows.

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