Frances Tiafoe humorously approached Ben Shelton in an attempt to cheer up the mood following his defeat in the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship final in Houston.
Tiafoe defeated James Duckworth, Jordan Thompson, and Luciano Darderi to get to the ATP 250 tournament final. In the process, Shelton fought his way past Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Brandon Nakashima, and Zizou Bergs.
Tiafoe could not contain his disappointment at losing out on what would have been his fourth career ATP Tour victory at the trophy presentation ceremony. Additionally, the 26-year-old made fun of Shelton. He closed his speech with an upbeat message, pushing himself and his group to continue the excellent work they started in Houston.
Tiafoe said: “I mean sucks we couldn’t get it done. Screw you Ben, but, yeah, it would have been cool to get number four. We’ll get that soon enough. Let’s just really build on this and let’s have a good 2024.”
"Screw you, Ben" 😂@FTiafoe #USClay pic.twitter.com/iUss6Yjq3I
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 7, 2024
Ben Shelton in 2024
At the moment ranked no.14 (career-high), Shelton played his last match on the 7th of April when he defeated world no.23 Francis Tiafoe 7-5 4-6 6-3 in the final in Houston to win his 2nd career title.
During this season the American owns an overall 15-7 record. This year, Shelton conquered 1 title in Houston.
Shelton has scheduled to play next in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open). He will start to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 22nd of April.
Frances Tiafoe in 2024
Currently the world no.23, Tiafoe played his last match on the 7th of April when he was overcome by world no.14 Ben Shelton 7-5 4-6 6-3 in the final in Houston (draw).
Presently, during this year the American has a compiled 10-8 win-loss record. Frances Tiafoe’s latest run in Houston was the best achievement of his season.
Tiafoe has scheduled to compete next in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 22nd of April.
Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe played each other just twice. Their current head to head is 2-0 for Shelton. The last time they squared off, Ben Shelton won 7-5 4-6 6-3 in the final in Houston (US Men’s Clay Court Championship) on the 7th of April 2024.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
