New York, September 5 (Daily Kiran) : Ben Shelton secured his place in the fourth round of the US Open 2026 after a hard-fought victory over Denis Shapovalov. The match, lasting 3 hours and 22 minutes, concluded with scores of 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in favor of the 23-year-old American.
Shelton faced challenges in the second set, where he failed to serve twice, allowing Shapovalov to equalize by winning the tiebreak. However, Shelton quickly regained his momentum in the third set, playing more aggressively and capitalizing on his opponent’s decline. A swift return winner helped him break early in the fourth set, and he maintained his lead until the end.
With this victory, Shelton improved his head-to-head record against Shapovalov to 5-0. He will next face Stefanos Tsitsipas, who made a comeback by defeating 18th seed Jiri Lehecka 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-1. This marks Tsitsipas’s first appearance in the fourth round of the US Open after nine attempts, following his earlier win over 10th seed Arthur Fils.
Frances Tiafoe also advanced, defeating Valentin Vacherot in a match that lasted 1 hour and 59 minutes, with scores of 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. The 11th seed showcased a strong performance, hitting 30 winners against just 13 unforced errors and winning 85% of his first serve points. This victory marks Tiafoe’s sixth appearance in the fourth round of the US Open and his 40th tour-level win of the season.
Tiafoe now joins Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner as the only players in 2026 to achieve at least 40 tour-level victories. In the next round, he will take on Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to also advance.
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