It was the match all of the Los Angeles crowd were waiting for on day one of UTS LA. And this all-American clash between Frances “Big Foe” Tiafoe and Ben “The Mountain” Shelton didn’t disappoint. Tiafoe won 7–13, 15–8, 15–13, 10–16, [2–1].
The pair will now get an opportunity to face off again in front of an American crowd—this time, in a slightly larger stadium, in the US Open quarter-finals on Tuesday, September 5th 2023.
Both men have won four matches at Flushing Meadows to date, with Frances Tiafoe defeating Learner Tien, Sebastian Ofner, Adrian Mannarino and Rinky Hijikata, while Ben Shelton has seen off Pedro Cachin, Dominic Thiem, Aslan Karatsev and most recently Tommy Paul.
This will be the first meeting between Tiafoe and Shelton on the ATP Tour, despite the two playing on the UTS Tour and being good friends. Big Foe will head into the match as the favourite, having made a US Open semi-final this time last year, and being the higher ranked of the two, at No 10 compared to No 47 in the world.
The prize for the winner of this clash? A likely semi-final against 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic for a spot in the US Open final.
If you missed their first pro encounter at UTS, you can just replay the match. Just three points in, the pair played an outrageous rally. Big Foe struck a cool dropshot, which The Mountain returned behind the back, only for Tiafoe to spike into the court and Shelton almost chase it down.
This exchange set the tone for the match, which was an exhibition of youthful enthusiasm, athleticism and natural entertainment.
A few points later, Shelton ripped a devastating 104 mph forehand past Tiafoe, putting Big Foe on notice that the 20-year-old has power to burn. Not one to be outdone, the elder American obliterated a passing shot of his own, and in doing so, defused the threat of The Mountain’s bonus car.
Despite the theatrics, this was serious business, as Shelton claimed the opening quarter 13-7.
In the second quarter, Tiafoe brought a noticeable increase in intensity. With soft hands, powerful aces and more passing shots, Big Foe ran out to an unassailable lead at 15-8 come quarter-point. The big serving American needed just one chance to seal the second, sliding a serve in off the net to level the match 1-1.
Quarter three delivered even more incredible rallies, with Big Foe continuing to make Shelton think by opting for a lot of net play.
The Mountain played his part, however, using his bonus card at 10-7 to draw level in the quarter. It was a case of ‘anything you can do, I can do better’ for Big Foe, with the 25-year-old also winning his bonus card to take a three-point lead into quarter point.
A running passing shot up the line saw Shelton draw close, before he fell agonisingly close at 15-13. Shelton entered the third quarter backed into a corner, and made a promising start, playing a deft lob, followed by a crushing groundstroke to take a 7-1 lead. It would require some magic at the net from Big Foe to stem the bleeding.
Undeniably the point of the match, possibly the day, came when Tiafoe struck a netcord at 10-8. The ball sat up for The Mountain to drop shot, which Big Foe managed to chase down and smash straight at Shelton. The American yet again worked his magic, squatting down behind his racquet to send the ball flying into the open court. Racing to the other side of the net to let Tiafoe know about his shot, this was all Shelton needed to grab enough momentum and win the quarter.
With another sudden death at UTS Los Angeles, the match was poised in the balance – until it wasn’t, as Tiafoe rapidly won consecutive points to claim the match.
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