By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) -Ben Shelton beat fellow American Frances Tiafoe 7-6(2) 6-4 in an electrifying match at the Washington Open on Friday to advance to the semifinals on a day marked by suffocating humidity in the nation’s capital.
Shelton blasted an ace on match point to seal the win and avenge his five-set loss to Tiafoe at last year’s U.S. Open as the 22-year-old continues to make strides in his breakout season.
Hometown hero Tiafoe had the support of the energized crowd but lost momentum when he was unable to serve out the first set while up 6-5, leading to a tiebreak that Shelton dominated.
The second set hinged on a marathon game at 3-3, where Shelton pocketed a break thanks to a Taifoe double fault.
Shelton rode his huge lefty serve from there to grab the win and set up a semi-final meeting with either top seed Taylor Fritz or Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
“It was a tough one for sure but enjoyable nonetheless,” Shelton told Tennis Channel.
“I love playing against Foe. Difficult guy to play against but playing him here in the U.S., especially being here in D.C., it was packed, it was a great atmosphere. I couldn’t be happier.”
Earlier, tournament lucky loser Corentin Moutet stunned Russia’s Daniil Medvedev 6-1 4-6 4-6 in a wild match interrupted by an hour-long delay due to the threat of thunderstorms.
Moutet, leading 5-4 in the final set when they returned to the court, was hobbled by leg cramps but completed the upset in a final game that featured three double faults by Medvedev and a frantic match point.
The Frenchman fell on his back in relief after securing the victory as Medvedev threw his racket and proceeded to take out his frustration on several water bottles, drawing boos from the crowd.
“That is a great way to finish the match,” said world number 59 Moutet.
“I was with my coach when we were up 5-4 and I said okay, I have to win the next game because my body cannot handle too much more.”
Moutet will face Australian seventh seed Alex de Minaur, who was a 6-4 6-4 winner over Brandon Nakashima.
On the women’s side, Canadian Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu both overcame the stifling heat and their opponents to advance to the semifinals, setting up a potential rematch of the 2021 U.S. Open final that was won by the Englishwoman.
For that to happen Raducanu, who beat Maria Sakkari in straight sets on Friday, will have to best Russian Anna Kalinskaya.
Fernandez takes on third seed Elena Rybakina in the semis of the ATP and WTA 500 event on Saturday.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
