Us Open, Paul, Tiafoe and Shelton advance to round of 16
The three Americans win and convince against Davidovich, Mannarino and Karatsev. A warning to Nole Djokovic
If the final US Open men’s draw was called America + Nole, that would be fine. Yes, because in an area where Rune, Ruud and Tsitsipas all left the tournament immediately, alongside Djokovic, who is the big favorite for a place in the finals, there is Paul, Tiafoe and Shelton who are capable of that Round of 16 to reach 16 with 3 convincing wins. The common goal is to bring an American back to the top of the US Open: the last time Roddick did so was in 2003.
TIE
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In the afternoon a great success from Tommy Paul who had defeated Davidovich 6-1 and 6-0 in 52 minutes before falling asleep for a set and deciding in the fourth set. Up to this point, Paul never looked like he might drop out of the tournament. The number 14 seeded player will have a very close round of 16 against Ben Shelton, who is playing well and serving even better. The 26 aces to 2 against Karatsev shows the difference in a match that ended 3-1 for the American. The last and only precedent between the pros was won by Paul, and that’s very difficult considering it’s the Australian Open quarter-finals this year. In the evening a great success for Frances Tiafoe, who at least has the intention of repeating last year’s semi-final in Flushing. Frances concedes a set against Mannarino but bounces back by dominating sets two and three before winning 8-6 in the fourth set’s tiebreak, taking advantage of the second match point and earning a ticket to the round of 16.
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