Ben Shelton defeats Diallo at Washington 500, sets up match with Tiafoe
Shelton outmatched Diallo with his serve, tallying 16 aces on a day when he had 46 total serve opportunities (first or second). He reached 146 mph while averaging 133 mph on his first serve. Shelton also made the most of the opportunities he was given, converting three of four break points. At the same time, Shelton prevented Diallo from ever reaching a break point. Total dominance.
In the quarter-final on Friday, Shelton will face off with one of the players he knows best on the ATP Tour, fellow American Francis Tiafoe. Big Foe and Shelton have a friendly rivalry going, and their styles always make for an entertaining clash for the fans. Both have large personalities, and the momentum should swing back and forth all night.
"I'm excited," Tiafoe said after his recent win. "We're great friends. We played an incredible match at the Open last year, I think that's the best we actually both played. He got me the first couple of times. He's a great player, a great friend of mine. Laver Cups, Davis Cups. We talk to each other outside of the game, we hang out outside of the game. I love that dude, but tomorrow obviously there's no friends. We're going to try to cut each other's heads off, and the crowd's going to love it. I'm going to love the competition, and I hope to get over the line."
Tiafoe came out on top in their last meeting, a Round of 32 match at the US Open that lasted five sets. Shelton got the better of Tiafoe the first two times they met on the tour, though, taking a US Open quarter-final and Houston 500 final.
The match is scheduled to begin not before 7 p.m. ET, although a later start wouldn't be out of the ordinary.
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