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
can Shelton win a set?
Mmm, I think so. But it won’t sit well with Novak- losing a set and Shelton having the crowd will provoke Novak’s ire.
My heart is 100% with Shelton, but it’s not his time just yet….Joker in 4.
So difficult to predict Novak’s opponent in this semi, Easy to pick other semi final! I certainly didn’t pick Shelton.
No, I didn’t see Shelton in the bracket or know anything about him. I think Shelton will win the US Open, but not this year.
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=40.7461&lon=-73.8528
It’s too hot and humid! But there is only a heat advisory issued until 6 p.m. It’s not hazardous, I guess. 🤭🤭😔
I passed out from a day in the heat on a vacation to an island near Cairns. Some of us cannot tolerate it.
A lot of rain is also forecasted. Will they close the roof and turn on the AC?
For some reason I feel that Novak has started to show vulnerabilities. His first serve misfiring sometimes. Struggles with the conditions. Feel like on occasions he is showing his age.
Could easily be completely wrong though.
I have not watched much of Novak these past weeks. My attention was on WTA. But I did watch Novak get rid of the CH. I didn’t watch him play Djere. It took Novak all five sets for that one.
Shelton seems quite sure of himself – so confident, “I’m ready for this.” He means it; he is not at all arrogant about it.
Carlos vs. Ben is what we have in the future. 🙂
👏👏
The roof is closed.
Shelton is bigger, thick, and broader than Stan or Tsonga!
Shelton’s dad 🤗😇 What a wise and cheerful man!
Shelton’s no Nadal
Djokovic isn’t even sweating. This is an exhibition for him, not even.
Not even worth his time to come out on the court. He should’ve got paid an appearance few
Djokovic’s parents weren’t even watching the match on break point.They were chatting to each other
Yes, Shelton approached the match with the right attitude, which would count as something. To get this far, he had to beat Tiafoe, Paul, Karatsev, Cachin, and Thiem. I may have missed one, but he now knows what he needs to improve. But he did a great job this time. This match is not over yet if he can win this set!
That last rally went the way of Shelton. Novak underestimated Ben’s reach. Oh my gosh, Shelton has a BP! He might get this yet. See 4-4 in the third, and the fans loved it, or I think they did. I better unmute the match now.
The crowd is roaring, and anything is possible. One misstep and Nole will need to go the distance.
Time for me to go hide. And accept Ben Shelton.
Just read the report in the G. Shelton has massive serve, massive forehand but was inconsistent and, of course, once Novak has figured out his serve, he was home and dry.
Also, article mentioned Shelton has a weak ROS. Now Amy and I have discussed many times the importance of a decent ROS so…