(New York) Ben Shelton made sure there was at least one American in the quarterfinals at the US Open.
The 20-year-old had 16 aces en route to a 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over compatriot Tommy Paul on Sunday.
Paul had defeated Shelton in four sets at the Australian Open this year, in the quarter-finals.
Shelton prevailed 36-25 in game winners.
Two of its services reached 239 kilometers per hour.
“I think it was pure adrenaline,” Shelton told the crowd after the game at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was just in that kind of atmosphere that I could do it. »
Shelton was the 2022 NCAA champion, with the University of Florida.
His next opponent will be compatriot Frances Tiafoe, the 10th seed. Tiafoe defeated Australian Rinky Hijikata in three sets 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.
In the evening, Taylor Fritz completed the first trio of American players to reach the quarters since Andre Agassi, James Blake and Robby Ginepri in 2005.
Fritz, seeded ninth, got the better of Swiss qualifier Dominic Stricker in straight sets 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4.
Among the women, Karolina Muchova reached the quarter-finals by winning 6-3, 5-7 and 6-1 ahead of Wang Xinyu.
This is the longest run in New York for the 10th seeded Czech.
Muchova made it to the French Open final three months ago, losing in three sets to Iga Swiatek.
Muchova also reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2021.
She had 32 game winners, offsetting 37 unforced errors. Her rival made 42 unprovoked errors.
“I was true to my game, with a lot of brush strokes to change the rhythm,” Muchova told the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium. That was the key. »
Her next rival will be Sorana Cirstea, who edged out Belinda Bencic 6-3, 6-3.
Sixth-seeded American Coco Gauff struggled against Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki but rebounded after a tough second set to triumph 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Gauff became the first American teenager since Serena Williams more than two decades ago to reach the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows in two consecutive years.
In 2022, Gauff lost to Caroline Garcia in the quarters. This time around, she’ll have favorite Iga Swiatek or her opponent, 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko, in her path.
Gauff has won 15 of her last 16 games and recently won the two most important titles of her career, in Washington and Cincinnati. The American was able to clean up her game in the third set on the hottest day of the tournament so far.
“She’s always been a great athlete. She has the backhand, the serve, the fighting spirit, Wozniacki argued. I feel like everything seems to be in place for her right now. »
Wozniacki, the 2018 Australian Open champion and two-time runner-up in New York, was ultimately unable to go head-to-head with Gauff in the final set.
“She’s back and it’s like she never left the circuit,” Gauff insisted. To be on the court today and to play against her, it was an honor. »
In the evening, 23-time major champion Novak Djokovic will take on Borna Gojo of Croatia before the duel between Swiatek and Ostapenko.
