On Tuesday night, down set point in the third set tiebreak of his U.S. Open quarterfinal match against Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton was in trouble. The 20-year-old, six-foot-four American, making only his fifth Grand Slam main draw appearance, had just squandered two set points of his own with consecutive double faults. In tense, swampy conditions, his black tank top so waterlogged it looked obsidian, Shelton’s patience was wearing thin, and with it his tolerance for the sort of long, coiled rallies the more experienced Tiafoe sought to draw him into. So when he got a good look at Tiafoe’s second serve, he reared back and stovepiped a return winner up the line, an audacious shot he celebrated by flexing his ample left bicep. Set point saved.
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