Tiafoe hasn’t been the same since losing to Shelton at the US Open – can he change that on Sunday?
Frances Tiafoe hasn’t been the same since losing to Ben Shelton in the 2023 US Open quarter-finals, but Sunday is an opportunity to make amends
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Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton meet in the final of the Houston Open this Sunday, in what is a rematch of their US Open quarter-final from last year.
Since then, however, a lot has changed.
Shelton has gone on to win his maiden Tour-level title, claiming the ATP 500 event in Tokyo, as well as making his first Masters 1000 quarter-final, defeating Jannik Sinner along the way. Off the back of this, the 21-year-old has risen to a career-high ranking of No 15 in the world, with a record of 23-10 since the US Open.
For Tiafoe, it couldn’t be more different. Ranked No 10 in the world when he last played Shelton, the 26-year-old has now fallen out of the top 20, sitting at No 23 in the live rankings ahead of the Houston Open final. Before this week, Tiafoe had only defeated one top 50 player since the US Open last year (in completed matches), and had a shaky 10-13 record over the past seven months.
In their US Open meeting, Tiafoe was the more senior, more experienced, higher seeded player, and was expected to win. He didn’t, and hasn’t been the same since.
Now, Shelton is the one coming into their match with the higher ranking, and the expectation that he wins.
The last time they met was a turning point for Tiafoe. With three wins in a row this week, including two top 50 victories, plus the knowledge that this time last year he was able to win the title in Houston, can he make Sunday another kind of turning point?
Yes. He has certainly not been the same since. I watched the Netflix drama “Break Point”. In one of the episodes, it was about Tiafoe and his groundbreaking achievements in the 2022 US Open, when he beat Nadal and Rublev to teach an impressive semi final.
His partner and he were talking about how everything changed after that. They started to meet many famous people including Michelle Obama, Justin Bieber, Kevin Garnet and more. Even more recently, he was seen with the Real Madrid soccer stars in Madrid. There is nothing wrong with this. However, if it starts taking you away from your focus on tennis then it can be an issue. I’ve watched tennis for a while and I’ve noticed that there is always someone ready to take your place if you drop your level, or you’re out for a while. If you don’t take your opportunity, someone else will.
I just watched Tiafoe at the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome. He has just lost yet again. Previously, he lost in a doubles match with Felix against Bublik…and Ben Shelton. Ben has certainly overtaken him in impressive fashion. At the moment, Tiafoe can’t catch a break.
I think this is a critical point in his career. It’s a transitional period because he has left Wayne Ferreira, his trainer. So I think he’s still getting used to it his. He’s adjusting to his new situation. I also think it’s an interesting and exciting point in his career. It’s time for him to get back to the drawing board. Remember why he took this up in the first place. And maybe remove any distractions and get very serious indeed. Perhaps a “no more Mr Nice Guy approach”.
It’s not going to be easy but we all love a comeback story. Let’s see if Tiafoe can come back and start winning again. And who knows, go one better and reach a major final. I’m looking forward to seeing this next chapter in the career of Mr Tiafoe.