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NEW YORK — Big-serving Ben Shelton moved into the quarterfinals of the US Open on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Tommy Paul, the second time this year he has gotten that far in a Grand Slam event.
Shelton flexed his bicep to the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd after match point when he avenged a four-set win by Paul when the Americans met in this year’s Australian Open quarterfinals. He did it by winning 75% of his first-serve points, blasting 16 aces and putting in two serves in one game recorded at 149 mph.
“I think it was straight adrenaline,” he told the crowd after the match. “Any other atmosphere I couldn’t get it done.”
Shelton, a 20-year-old who won the NCAA singles title at Florida in 2022, becomes the youngest American man to reach the final eight at Flushing Meadows since Andy Roddick did it at the same age in 2002.
Shelton next faces the winner of the match later Sunday between 10th-seeded Frances Tiafoe and Australian wild card Rinky Hijikata. Yet another American, ninth-seeded Taylor Fritz, also has a chance to make the quarterfinals if he can get past Swiss qualifier Dominic Stricker, who took out No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round.
At night, Novak Djokovic, the No. 2 seed and 23-time Grand Slam champion, faces 25-year-old qualifier Borna Gojo of Croatia.