Ben Shelton says what is 'scary' for everyone else on the ATP Tour about Frances Tiafoe, 'people are in trouble'

Ben Shelton has booked his place in the Washington Open semi-finals after defeating Frances Tiafoe in straight sets.

Shelton defeated American compatriot Tiafoe 7-6, 6-4, in front of a home crowd to advance to the final four, where he’ll face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Davidovich knocked out the top seed, Taylor Fritz, to set up a clash with the 22-year-old, against whom he is undefeated.

Ahead of his match with the Spaniard, Shelton took a moment to acknowledge the efforts of his quarter-final opponent.

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Ben Shelton gives high praise to Frances Tiafoe after their clash in D.C.

When asked if Tiafoe was not ‘locked in’ during their bout, Shelton replied in his post-match press conference: “No, no. I definitely think that he’s locked in.

“He’s one of those guys who can turn the switch on whenever he wants it, and you guys are seeing more and more weeks every year that he’s playing his brand of tennis, really good tennis.

“That’s scary for the rest of the field. He’ll even say it himself. He used to be a guy who’d show up in the American hard-court swing and a few other times during the year, and those would be his big moments.

“The guy’s making quarterfinals at Roland Garros now, and people are in trouble.”

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Ben Shelton said what the difference was between him and Frances Tiafoe

On the match, Shelton said: “I think obviously this court does a lot for my serve. The ability to get the ball out of the zone is huge, especially against a guy like Foe, who is so good in the pocket.

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“So my ability for my flat serves not only to be coming in at 145 but also rising above his shoulders is huge.

“Second serve, too. He’s one of the best in the world when he’s locked in, attacking second serves and making you feel like you’re on the back foot, taking a second serve and coming to the net.

“My winning percentage on second serve was probably the highest that it’s ever been against him.

“My aggressive brand of serving, and then I was willing to take chances on the return of serve, and I executed a lot. So I think that combination was kind of tough to deal with in these conditions.”

His next opponent, Davidovich Fokina, won both of their previous meetings, which came at ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo and Paris.

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