NEW YORK (Reuters) -Frances Tiafoe weathered a Ben Shelton storm in a captivating all-American blockbuster to win 4-6 7-5 6-7(5) 6-4 6-3 and move into the last 16 of the U.S. Open on Friday.
Both players have had semi-final runs at Flushing Meadows in the past and it was the electric Tiafoe who prevailed in a four-hour battle in what was a repeat of last year's quarter-final match-up, where the younger Shelton had won in four sets.
The two players are good pals off the court but set their friendship aside and after Shelton promised a 'war', the clash lived up to its billing, bringing the crowd to its feet on several points and rallies as the match went the distance.
Shelton, who held a 2-0 head-to-head record going into the contest, fired 23 aces and 63 winners but ultimately Tiafoe exacted revenge and earned a fourth-round clash with either defending champion Novak Djokovic or Alexei Popyrin.
"Ben's an incredible player man, he really is. He goes for all kinds of shots, he's got no care in the world, it's really annoying. He's got a great serve and he has great energy out here," Tiafoe said.
"He can come up with great shots, so can I. We both move really well, so it's just highlight after highlight. I really hope you guys enjoyed the show, four hours of this battle."
After Coco Gauff warmed up the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium with a gritty comeback win, the fans were relatively muted as the two players went through the motions in the opening set.
But they instantly came to life on a thrilling rally where the net cord brought both players scrambling to the net and Shelton eventually won the point when the referee stopped play after Tiafoe had touched the net to concede a 4-1 lead.
Shelton continued to entertain the crowd with his shots, on one occasion leaping gracefully into the air at the net for a fine backhand smash while he chased down another return to fire a cross-court forehand winner that drew collective gasps.
However, Tiafoe found a way back into the match in the second set. Although Shelton held serve from 0-40 down in two straight service games, Tiafoe finally converted a break point at 5-5 and then took the second set.
There was little to separate the two in the third set as they went into a tiebreak where Shelton raced away into a 6-0 lead after Tiafoe made errors and kicked over a towel bin in disgust.
Tiafoe clawed his way back to 6-5 as Shelton nearly imploded but on his seventh set point, the unfazed American served a 143 mph ace -- the fastest of the tournament so far -- to seal a 2-1 lead.
They were neck and neck in the fourth too but Tiafoe was dialled in at the end when he was up 5-4, with Shelton having to save set points before an unforced error forced a decider.
Shelton was the first to crack in the fifth set when he tried too hard to go big with his shots and made errors as Tiafoe broke and then went 4-1 up.
Tiafoe did not look back and on his second match point he sneaked up to the net and finessed a volley into the open court, celebrating a first win over his compatriot before they embraced at the net.
Tiafoe is part of an American cohort eager to end the 21-year men's major drought and Taylor Fritz further bolstered home hopes as he cruised by Argentine Francisco Comesana to set up a meeting with either Casper Ruud or Shang Juncheng in the next round.
The 12th seed never dropped his serve and sent over 33 winners, becoming the first American man to reach the fourth round at all Grand Slam tournaments in a single year since Andre Agassi in 2003.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; editing by Pritha Sarkar; editing by Diane Craft)
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