New York: Big-hitting Ben Shelton blasted his way past Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 and into the US Open semifinals on Tuesday in an all-American match up that lived up to its blockbuster billing.
With the victory the 20-year-old Shelton becomes the youngest American to reach the US Open last four since Michael Chang in 1992, setting up a meeting with one of the greats of the game - 23 times Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic.
There are not too many sporting events in New York that create more buzz than an all-American clash under the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights at the business end of the season's final Grand Slam.
The atmosphere during a night session is always electric but it was dialled up a few notches for Tiafoe and Shelton, the contest the first in 15 years to feature two Black American men battling on the world's largest tennis venue.
James Blake and Donald Young met on Ashe in the opening round of the 2008 US Open but the stakes were considerably higher on Tuesday, with the winner moving on to face Djokovic for a place in Sunday's final and the opportunity to end a 20-year US Open title drought.
The 10th-seeded Tiafoe, who electrified the home crowd with a run to the semifinals last year, had dropped only one set en route to the quarterfinals but it did not take long for Shelton to take a second.
Shelton came out guns blazing, with his groundstrokes struck with such venom they drew gasps from the capacity crowd.
After holding his first two serves Tiafoe had no answers for his opponent's explosive forehand as Shelton claimed five straight games to snatch opening set.
But there was no panic from Tiafoe as he got to grips with Shelton's big swings, which started to miss the mark.
He would get his first break chances of the match in the sixth game of the second and levelled at a set apiece.
In a wild third set the momentum seemed to swing on every serve with six breaks, three from each player, in the first eight games.
The set would go to a tie-break that was just as unpredictable with Shelton taking back-to-back double faults, including one on set point, before finally winning it 9-7.
There was no mistaking where the momentum was going into the fourth with Shelton hammering a backhand winner down the line that a flat-footed Tiafoe could only watch to clinch the early break.
Another break at 5-2 and Tiafoe's fate was sealed with Shelton holding serve for the win.
Karolina Muchova was happy with all facets of her game as she overwhelmed Romania's Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3 to set up a semifinal against American Coco Gauff.
Muchova, seeded 10th, smacked 32 winners and played outstanding defence to see off the 33-year-old Cirstea at Arthur Ashe Stadium and reach the last four at Flushing Meadows for the first time.
"I felt very good actually from the start till the end," Muchova told reporters.
"I had a good feeling with the ball from the baseline, I felt good on the net, slicing, and with my whole game.
"I really like the court and like the atmosphere and I was enjoying it."
French Open finalist Muchova got off to a quick start and raced out to a 3-0 lead before fending off nine break points to win a marathon game and extend to 4-0.
A flustered Cirstea's backhand then landed wide to put her opponent up 5-0 and Muchova completed the bagel the next game.
After an animated conversation with her coach during the break between sets, Cirstea held to start the second and broke for 2-0 when her charge to the net caused Muchova to miss a passing shot.
But the 27-year-old broke right back, and again for a 4-3 lead she would not relinquish as her net play, precise lobs and pinpoint serving carried the day.
Cirstea missed a swinging volley to set up match point, which Muchova converted with a forehand winner to end the contest in just over an hour and a half.
Next up for Muchova is Gauff, who was a 6-0, 6-2 winner over Jelena Ostapenko earlier in the day. The Czech said she knows she will be up against both the 19-year-old American and the home crowd on Friday.
"She's very athletic. She never gives up. Runs for every ball," she said.
"Doesn't do many mistakes. So she has kind of all the strokes. So very, very good player from all the aspects."
