U.S. Open SF preview and prediction: Djokovic vs. Shelton

In the final tournament of John Isner’s career, Ben Shelton appears to be the one who will accept the torch and lead the next generation of American men.

Heck, Shelton looks poised to be one of the leaders of the next generation as a whole–not just Americans, but also in the discussion with Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, and others.

Of course, the sample size of success remains extremely small. Shelton was playing college tennis a little more than a year ago (he was the 2022 NCAA singles champion for the University of Florida) and even with two improbable runs at Grand Slams he still has a losing record on the main tour. But the talent level and future potential is obvious. Shelton has hit a pair of 149 MPH serves at this U.S. Open and at 20 years old he has already reached two major quarterfinals (also at the 2023 Australian Open). Now he finds himself in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows following victories over Pedro Cachin, Dominic Thiem, Aslan Karatsev, Tommy Paul, and Frances Tiafoe.

Unfortunately for Shelton, one of the two toughest tests in tennis awaits him in the semifinals on Friday. For a big server like Shelton, Djokovic is probably even tougher than Alcaraz. After all, the Serb is arguably the best returner in tennis history.

At 36 years old, Djokovic remains the best all-around player in tennis–as the ATP rankings will indicate next Monday (he is guaranteed to pass Alcaraz, who is the defending U.S. Open champion). The 23-time Grand Slam winner, who missed the tournament last summer, is two victories away from a fourth title in New York after defeating Alexandre Muller, Bernabe Zapata Miralles, Laslo Djere, Borna Gojo, and Taylor Fritz. Djere actually managed to take the first two sets of their third-round match, but Djokovic dominated the next three 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 and all of his other matches have been straight-set affairs.

Not too much unlike Isner, Shelton is dangerous because he can take the racket out of any opponent’s hands when he is serving well. Needless to say, though, the world No. 47 will need to deliver his best serving performance ever if he wants to even be competitive on Friday. His style of play can reap big rewards, but there is also risk involved. Shelton was able to get away with nine double-faults against Paul and 11 against Tiafoe; to say that he can’t afford to do that against Djokovic would be an understatement.

The fans will do their best to keep a potential future U.S. Open champion in this match, but Djokovic should be able to play his way into rallies and break down Shelton’s all-court game without too much trouble.

Pick: Djokovic in 3

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