April 07, (THEWILL) – Ben Shelton and defending champion, Frances Tiafoe, have booked their place in the final of the ATP US Clay Court Championship in Houston, setting up an all-American showdown on Sunday.
The 21-year-old Shelton battled past Argentina’s Tomas Etcheverry 6-7 (4/7) 6-4 6-4 to reach his second ATP Tour final. Tiafoe, the defending champion, eased past Italy’s Luciano Darderi in straight sets to book his spot in the title match. The two Americans will meet in the final for only the second time, with Shelton having defeated Tiafoe in four sets at last year’s US Open quarterfinals.
Shelton did not drop a serve in the first set against Etcheverry but stumbled in the tie-breaker to give the Argentine the early advantage. However, the younger American found his rhythm on the clay to plot a path past Etcheverry in the final two sets. “The game just moves a little bit slower on clay, you have more time to process,” Shelton said. “I tried to use that to my advantage today.”
Tiafoe, meanwhile, is the first defending champion to reach the Houston final since Steve Johnson in 2018. “Great performance from me today,” said Tiafoe, who is relishing his second meeting with Shelton. “He’s got one of the best serves on the Tour,” Tiafoe acknowledged. “It’s going to be a tough match and I’m ready for a good battle.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
