American young guns pulled off a victory hat-trick on Friday in the US Open third round, with Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton all moving through in four-set thrillers.
Outgoing 10th seed Tiafoe beat Adrian Mannarino 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (6) while Paul, a Toronto semi-finalist last month, put out Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3.
Shelton unleashed a service ace clocked at 236 kph on his way to a win over Aslan Karatsev 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0.
The rocket was the highlight of a win in just under two and a half hours which also included 26 aces.
“I’m really pleased with my performance today,” the winner said. It was one of my best serving days ever.”
The son of a former ATP pro will next take on compatriot Paul in the fourth round at the home Grand Slam, a repeat of an Australian Open quarter-final won by Paul
Paul beat Davidovich Fokina on the event[s biggest stage, the Ashe showcourt, as he won his third match without a loss against the man-bun Spaniard who was buried by 44 unforced errors while Paul struck 39 winners.
The winner admitted shock that he was scheduled on the most massive court in the sport.
“I was surprised that they put me (there. . I was pretty excited, it’s an honor to play on that court. Hopefully I’ll be back many more times.”
Against France’s veteran Mannarino, Tiafoe extended his freakish statistic against left-handed players, defeating his 19th in a row on Tour.
The American who sent down 15 aces in victory is at least hoping to duplicate his semi-final here from a year ago.
“I played a loose game early in the first set and then after that, I thought I was a better player even though I lost the set, had a tonne of break points,” Tiafoe said.
“I was definitely finding my rhythm, so I just used that as confidence and kept going,”
The fun-loving extrovert among US players added: “I was super mad that I gave back a break in the fourth and made it real complicated for myself in the end.
“But I got it done and it feels good to be in the fourth round.”
He added that the 35-year-old Manarrino “defends really well. He’s super tough and obviously has a great lefty serve. I’m happy the match is over and I won.
“He is super annoying to play.”
Swiss qualifier Dominic Stricker moved through to the second week of a Grand Slam as he put out France’s Benjamin Bonzi 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2.
Main photo:- Frances Tiafoe one of three USA men’s winners today – by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
