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Key Points

Frances Tiafoe cruised past Flavio Cobolli to reach his third quarterfinal of the season. He will face Ben Shelton in a rematch of their thrilling 2024 US Open encounter. Shelton dominated Gabriel Diallo to continue his strong hard-court form. Meanwhile, Brandon Nakashima and Taylor Fritz also secured quarterfinal spots in Washington.

Key Points: Tiafoe and Shelton Set All-American DC Open Quarterfinal Clash

  • Tiafoe secures first Top 20 win of 2025
  • Shelton reaches second straight quarterfinal after Wimbledon
  • Nakashima advances to face Alex de Minaur
  • Fritz continues strong form with fourth QF in five events
2 min read

Tiafoe, Shelton set all-American QF in Washington

Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton advance to an exciting all-American quarterfinal at the DC Open, renewing their rivalry after last year's US Open thriller.

"We’re great friends. We played an incredible match at the Open last year, I think that’s the best we actually both played. – Frances Tiafoe"

Washington, July 25

Frances Tiafoe scored a statement 6-1, 6-4 victory against returning finalist Flavio Cobolli to reach the quarterfinal of DC Open. This is Tiafoe's third quarterfinal of the 2025 ATP Tour season after Houston and Roland Garros.

Tiafoe joins Andre Agassi and Alexander Zverev as the only men this century to reach the Washington quarters in four consecutive years. With his first Top 20 win of the season (1-2), Tiafoe has now recorded back-to-back hard-court wins for the first time since his run to the 2024 US Open semi-finals, ATP reports.

Tiafoe beat countryman Ben Shelton in last year's US Open third round and will now have a chance to level the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head at 2-2 when the home favourites meet again in Friday's quarter-finals. Shelton booked his place in the last eight with a 6-3, 6-2 win against Gabriel Diallo.

"I'm excited. We're great friends. We played an incredible match at the Open last year, I think that's the best we actually both played. He got me the first couple of times. He's a great player, a great friend of mine," Tiafoe said of the matchup with Shelton.

Shelton is into his second quarterfinal in as many events after reaching that stage at Wimbledon, where he lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner. Seven of Shelton's 19 tour-level quarter-finals have come on home soil, according to ATP Stats.

Elsewhere, American Brandon Nakashima also advanced to the Washington quarters with a 7-6(3), 6-3 win against Cameron Norrie, setting up a meeting with seventh seed Alex de Minaur.

Taylor Fritz registered a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Italy's Matteo Arnaldi. The top seed is through to his fourth quarter-final in his past five events, including his semi-final showing at Wimbledon.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
The Tiafoe-Shelton matchup will be 🔥! Both players bring such different styles - power vs finesse. Hope they show us another classic like last year's US Open match. Staying up late to watch this one from Mumbai!
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Aman W
While American tennis is thriving, I feel the ATP tour needs more global representation. The same few countries dominate year after year. Where are the Asian and African challengers? The sport needs to grow beyond traditional strongholds.
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Shreya B
Tiafoe's story is so inspiring! From humble beginnings to ATP star. Reminds me of our own Sumit Nagal's journey. Hope Nagal can reach similar heights soon. Indian tennis needs more heroes! 💪
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Nikhil C
The timing is terrible for Indian fans - these matches start at 2-3 AM IST. Wish ATP would consider Asian timezones when scheduling big matches. Still, will try to catch highlights in the morning!
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Kavya N
Shelton's lefty game is so unique! His serve reminds me of Ramesh Krishnan's precision back in the day. Different era but same elegance. Excited for this new generation of players! 🎾✨

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