BEN Shelton and defending champion Frances Tiafoe sealed an all-American showdown in the United States ATP clay-court final in Houston on Saturday after advancing to the final in different styles.
Shelton secured his place in the ATP tour finals for the second time after overcoming a tough fight against Tomas Etcheverry of Argentina with a score of 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-4.
Meanwhile, Tiafoe encountered little difficulty, securing his spot against Shelton after winning in straight sets against Italy’s Luciano Darderi.
This means Shelton and Tiafoe will meet in Sunday’s final for the second time. Shelton beat Tiafoe in four sets in their previous meeting in the quarterfinals of last year’s US Open.
Shelton didn’t drop serve in the first set but stumbled in the tie-breaker giving Etcheverry an early lead.
However, the 21-year-old took advantage of the slower court surface to breeze past the South American opponent in the final two sets.
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“You have a lot of time here, playing on clay,” Shelton said. “The game just runs a little slower, you have more time to process.
“I tried to use that to my advantage today.”
Meanwhile, Tiafoe is the first defending champion to reach the Houston final since Steve Johnson in 2018.
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“Great performance from me today,” said Tiafoe, who was looking forward to his second meeting with Shelton.
“He has one of the best serves on Tour,” Tiafoe said.
“He is a great player. It will be a tough match and I am ready for a good fight.” (AFP/Z-3)
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