Frances Tiafoe has cruised into his first final since June, when he last tasted silverware in Stuttgart.
He is now aiming to do so again in Houston, kickstarting his clay season with a title.
It has been a tough past few months for the American, who has dropped to 20th in the ATP rankings of late following some consistently poor performances in the big tournaments.
But, with this strong run offering a good foundation for the rest of the season, he will be hoping to convert his form into May and June’s Roland-Garros tournament.
However, he must first get past one man in the final who he will be more than accustomed to playing. Knowing Ben Shelton and beating him though are two completely different things entirely.
Frances Tiafoe full of praise for Ben Shelton
Speaking after his impressive, comfortable victory over Luciano Darderi, Tiafoe, who served nine aces and faced just two unconverted break points, was pleased with his level.
He told the ATP Tour website: ‘Great performance from me today. It’s a little different clay out here in Houston, you can play more like a hard court. But he’s a tough out on this surface for sure and he’s going to be a tough out on this surface for a long time.’
However, perhaps more interestingly was his comments on his opponent, as he is set to face Shelton later tonight in the final of the ATP Houston.
The 26-year-old highlighted the outstanding issue he will have to overcome to defeat his compatriot: ‘He’s got one of the best serves on the Tour. Holding serve is huge. He’s a great player. It’s going to be a tough match and I’m ready for a good battle.’
The ATP Houston final marks a huge moment for both players
As aforementioned, this marks a huge final for Tiafoe, seeking to stop the rut and claim his first title in ten months.
Meanwhile, this actually marks the opportunity for Shelton to taste tour-level silverware for just the second-ever time, having won his maiden event in Tokyo back in October.
With a fierce service game and a left-handed play style which makes any match tricky for his opposition, the 21-year-old will be hoping for a repeat of their 2023 US Open quarter-final, in which Shelton stormed into his deepest run at a Grand Slam.
Not only would this also mark his first title on clay, but it would see him jump up to 14th in the ATP rankings, having already been guaranteed to rise by at least one place into 15th regardless of the result.
14th in the world would be the highest point of his young career thus far, and should he reach it at Tiafoe’s expense, it would likely leave the former world number ten feeling as furious as he did with Carlos Alcaraz back in 2022.
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