Top-seeded Ben Shelton secured a hard-fought victory over Brandon Nakashima in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship. Shelton acknowledged the challenge posed by Nakashima's strong serving and gameplay, expressing relief at overcoming the pressure, particularly during the tiebreak.
At 21 years old, Shelton advanced to his fifth tour-level semifinal and extended his impressive record to 17-1 against players ranked outside the top 50 in the ATP Rankings since the ATP Masters 1000 in Toronto last August. In the upcoming semifinals, Shelton will face fourth-seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, the runner-up from the previous year.
Etcheverry's progress to the semifinals was marked by Michael Mmoh's retirement due to injury, with Etcheverry leading 6-3, 0-1. This will be Etcheverry's fourth ATP tour semifinal, all of which have been on clay courts.
Defending champion Frances Tiafoe also advanced to the semifinals with a hard-fought victory over Jordan Thompson. Tiafoe highlighted the intensity of the match, particularly the crucial first set that saw him break back at a pivotal moment. Tiafoe expressed satisfaction with his performance and his return to the semifinals.
Tiafoe is set to face Luciano Darderi in his 14th tour-level semifinal. Darderi secured his spot in the semifinals by defeating Marcos Giron in a commanding 6-0, 6-4 victory.
