Ben Shelton defeated Frances Tiafoe by 6-2 3-6 7-6 (7) 6-2 on Tuesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium to get to the semifinal of the US Open. Novak Djokovic maintained his chances of winning a record 24th Grand Slam trophy by defeating American Taylor Fritz in straight sets by 6-1 6-4 6-4 and making it to the semifinal.
Novak Djokovic expects a challenging encounter when he faces rising American sensation Ben Shelton in the US Open semifinals on Friday. The three-time US Open champion Djokovic is surely the clear favorite to win in Flushing Meadows, but Shelton’s spectacular rise to fame in 2023 means the contest is unlikely to be one-sided.
Shelton expressed his thoughts about the semifinal before facing Djokovic and said: “I think I can bring some things that maybe you don’t see in a normal match. So I’m going to try to bring some different and hopefully disruptive things on Friday.”
Shelton is confident that when he first encounters Djokovic, he can benefit from his lack of previous experience and exposure at the highest level. He further added: “You just know how rock solid the guy is and how mentally tough, how physically tough. So that’s definitely something that I have to game-plan for. I also think that you know, it’s an advantage with my game style playing someone who’s never played me before.”
"I think I can bring some things that maybe you don't see in a normal match. So I'm going to try to bring some different and hopefully disruptive things on Friday."
Ben Shelton before facing Novak Djokovic 🍿
(via @lequipe) pic.twitter.com/JhNGmMgfxF
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) September 6, 2023
Shelton at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2023
At the moment ranked no.47, Ben owns a composed 19-22 record in 2023. Shelton is currently playing at the U.S. Open where he bested the world no.66 Pedro Cachin 1-6 6-3 6-2 6-4, the world no.81 Dominic Thiem 7-61 1-0 ret., the world no.77 Aslan Karatsev 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-0, the world no.14 Tommy Paul 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-4 and the world no.10 Frances Tiafoe 6-2 3-6 7-67 6-2.
Ben Shelton will come up against the world no.2 Novak Djokovic in the semifinal. They have never competed against each other as of now in top tournaments.
Djokovic at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2023
WWLWWWWWWW At the moment ranked no.2, the Serbian achieved a 43-5 match record in 2023. The Serbian is now playing at the U.S. Open where he beat the world no.84 Alexandre Muller 6-0 6-2 6-3, the world no.76 Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-4 6-1 6-1, the world no.38 Laslo Djere 4-6 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-3, the world no.105 Borna Gojo 6-2 7-5 6-4 and the world no.9 Taylor Fritz 6-1 6-4 6-4.
Novak Djokovic will square off with the world no.47 Ben Shelton in the semifinal. They have never played each other up to now on the main tour.
Djokovic clinched 4 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open and Cincinnati. The Serbian reached the final in Wimbledon.
Novak won 95 titles in his career: 51 on hard courts, 19 on clay courts, 17 on indoor courts and 8 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Ben Shelton and Novak Djokovic have never faced off.
