US top seed Ben Shelton progressed to his inaugural ATP clay semifinal on Friday, narrowly defeating compatriot Brandon Nakashima 7-5, 7-6(9) at the US Clay Court Championship in Houston, Texas.
Shelton, a 21-year-old southpaw from Atlanta, clinched his lone ATP title at last year’s Japan Open but aims to replicate his success on clay in this tournament.
It took Shelton five match points to finally overcome Nakashima after a grueling two-hour and 13-minute battle. Shelton managed to win all seven break points he faced, acknowledging the challenge posed by Nakashima’s serving and playing style.
“Not an easy matchup today with the way Brandon was serving and playing,” Shelton remarked. “He made things difficult, and I was feeling the pressure in that tie-break. But I’m really happy to get through.”
In the next round, Shelton will face Argentine fourth seed Tomás Etcheverry, who advanced to the semifinals after US opponent Michael Mmoh retired from their match with Etcheverry leading 6-3, 0-1. Etcheverry was the runner-up at last year’s US Clay Courts, losing to Frances Tiafoe in the final.
Italy’s unseeded Luciano Darderi secured a semifinal spot by upsetting US seventh seed Marcos Giron 6-0, 6-4. Darderi will now take on third-seeded Tiafoe, who defeated Australian sixth seed Jordan Thompson 7-6(8), 6-4.
