Thiago Agustin Tirante topples Ben Shelton in Houston stunner

Houston

Tirante topples Shelton in Houston stunner

Argentine ousts 2024 champion

US Clay

Thiago Agustin Tirante defeats Ben Shelton in three sets on Friday in Houston. By ATP Staff

World No. 83 Thiago Agustin Tirante earned one of the biggest wins of his career Friday in Houston, where he stunned top seed and 2024 champion Ben Shelton 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 to reach the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship semi-finals.

The Argentine lost just three games in his opening match of the week against Colton Smith and dropped only two games in the second round against Mackenzie McDonald. Tirante’s confidence showed against Shelton, earning the second Top-10 victory of his career in two hours and 30 minutes.

“Very happy with this win, my second Top-10 win, so I am very happy with the work that we are doing with my team,” Tirante said. “I knew that Ben was a very difficult player, a great player, so I had to take more risk at some times of the match.

“I did. I did sometimes good, I did sometimes bad, but that was the key. [I had to be] mentally strong all the time and try to break the serve. He serves amazing. I did the best possible [job].”

The 24-year-old reached a career-high World No. 74 in the PIF ATP Rankings last month and is up to No. 71 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Two years ago he beat then-World No. 8 Andrey Rublev en route to his first ATP Tour semi-final in Bastad. Now he is 2-0 against the Top 10 after upsetting World No. 9 Shelton to make his second tour-level semi-final.

“I have the level. Matches are matches. Sometimes you learn, sometimes you win,” Tirante said. “But I am very happy with this level that I showed to the people here, to myself as well, to my team and I’m very happy with that.”

Shelton took a medical timeout in the second set to receive treatment from the ATP physiotherapist for an apparent neck or upper back injury. But this year’s Dallas champion battled on and forced his opponent to play special tennis to move on.

That is exactly what Tirante did. The six-time ATP Challenger champion was very aggressive with his forehand to try to take control of baseline rallies, and won 88 per cent of his first-serve points according to Infosys ATP Stats. He did not drop serve in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Shelton.

An Argentine is guaranteed to make his first ATP Tour final, because earlier in the day Roman Andres Burruchaga ousted third seed Learner Tien 7-5, 6-4.

Like Tirante, Burruchaga is trying to make his maiden tour-level championship match. The World No. 77 won 42 per cent of his return points against Tien and converted three of his four break points.

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