HOUSTON — Defending champion Frances Tiafoe and top-seeded Ben Shelton will play for the U.S. Males’s Clay Courtroom Championship title after profitable semifinal matches on Saturday.
Tiafoe, ranked twenty first, defeated Luciano Darderi 6-2, 7-6 (2) and appears to grow to be the occasion’s first repeat champion since Steve Johnson did it in 2017 and 2018.
After a dominant opening, Darderi rallied for a second-set tiebreaker. However Tiafoe was relentless and clinched his first ATP closing of the season on his opponent’s double fault.
“Nice efficiency from me at the moment,” stated Tiafoe, who credited extra aggression and extra enjoyable for his return to the ultimate. “It is somewhat totally different clay out right here in Houston, you’ll be able to play extra like a tough court docket.”
Shelton got here again from shedding a first-set tiebreaker to beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4 and attain the second ATP closing of his profession and his first on clay.
Shelton, a 21-year-old ranked sixteenth, acknowledged it took him till just a few video games within the second set to seek out his kind.
“You could have a number of day out right here, enjoying on clay. The sport simply strikes somewhat bit slower, you will have extra time to course of,” Shelton stated. “I attempted to make use of that to my benefit at the moment and actually pleased to be within the finals my first time right here in Houston.”
Tiafoe misplaced his solely profession assembly with Shelton on the US Open quarterfinals final September.
