Friday night's bout between Ben Shelton and Francis Tiafoe should be a box office hit.
This match has all the makings of a classic, with the two American stars having barely missed an opportunity at the U.S. Open so far and both players enjoying the spotlight.
When Shelton, who beat Tiafoe in last year's quarterfinals, burst onto the scene at the start of 2023, many in the tennis world thought the American would be a dangerous opponent but would be too one-dimensional and too reliant on his world-class serve.
While Shelton's serve remains clearly his greatest strength, he has become a more complete player over the past two seasons and has proven to be a much more skilled player than anyone gave him credit for early in his career.
Tiafoe's serve is also a strong weapon, and the Maryland native prefers to play an attacking style of tennis that keeps opponents on the back foot.
That may be disconcerting to some players, but it shouldn't be a problem for Shelton.
In fact, it's fair to say Shelton would prefer to face an aggressive opponent like Tiafoe.
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The path of least resistance against Shelton would be to set up defensively and force him to take as many shots as possible, but that doesn't really fit Tiafoe's usual style.
He wants to keep things moving, which should work in Shelton's favor.
theater: Shelton -146 (BetMGM)
