Grab your popcorn — truck loads of it — and clear your schedules for Friday's US Open third-round tussle between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe.
The all-American encounter is a rematch of last year's quarter-final, where the younger player triumphed, but the Cincinnati runner-up aims to break through and defeat his 21-year-old opponent.
Match preview
Shelton was backed to beat Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets, but the American No. 13 seed got the job in three to claim a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win against the veteran.
The 21-year-old has served near impeccably in rounds one and two, saving the only break point faced against Dominic Thiem in the opening round and twice preventing Bautista Agut from breaking his serve on Wednesday.
Shelton doubled his tournament-opening eight aces to hit 16 against his Spanish opponent, and the 2023 US Open semi-finalist seeks more of the same against his countryman on Friday.
Last year was the young player's breakthrough season on the ATP Tour, culminating in a semi-final run in his second main draw appearance in New York.
He beat Tiafoe en route to facing Novak Djokovic in the semis, and the showman seeks another victory over his fellow American to set up a possible rematch with the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the tournament's fourth round — if the Serbian beats Alexei Popyrin.
Tiafoe will be in no mood to do his countryman any favours, keen to continue his momentum from reaching the Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati, where he could not get past Jannik Sinner.
Unlike Shelton, the No. 20 seed has not been unblemished in New York, having dropped a set in his tournament-opening victory against Aleksandar Kovacevic in the all-American first-round match.
A seemingly straightforward round two match with Alexander Shevchenko ended earlier than anticipated after the Kazakhstani player retired due to an unspecified issue having received a medical timeout mid-way through set two, setting up a rematch of last year's quarter-final.
An unseeded Shelton upset Tiafoe last year in four sets, but the latter is looking for redemption in their rematch circa 12 months later.
The Big Foe heads into this third-round match on the back of a semi-final run in Washington and reaching the final at the ATP 1000 event in Cincinnati, an improvement many ascribe to the addition of David Witt to his coaching team.
No matter the outcome of Friday's encounter, observers are guaranteed to have fun when these showmen battle for the third time on the ATP Tour.
Tournament so far
Ben Shelton:
First round: vs. Dominic Thiem 6-4 6-2 6-2
Second round: vs. Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3 6-4 6-4
Frances Tiafoe:
First round: vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4 6-3 4-6 7-5
Second round: vs. Alexander Shevchenko 6-4 6-1 1-0 ret
Head To Head
US Open (2023) - Quarter-final: Shelton 6-2 3-6 7-6(7) 6-2
Houston (2024) - Final: Shelton 7-5 4-6 6-3
Besides last year's quarter-final meeting at Flushing Meadows, Shelton and Tiafoe have played on one more occasion, with the younger American prevailing to lead their head-to-head 2-0.
The second of their two meetings came at the US Men's Clay Court Championship in April when the No. 13 seed won their two-hour-16-minute three-set battle.
While Tiafoe's three Tour-level titles eclipses Shelton's two, the 21-year-old's victory over his older opponent in Houston sees him edge his countryman 1-0 this year.
We say: Tiafoe to win in five sets
Friday's match could go either way, with Shelton's start to the tournament showcasing his talent and on-court effervescence.
Regardless, we are backing the Big Foe to be third-time lucky against the higher-ranked opponent, keen to build on his pre-US Open momentum and continue his run of advancing to the fourth round since 2020 — reaching the semis in 2022 and quarters last year.
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