Tiafoe falls to Shelton in straight sets in D.C. Open quarterfinal

Frances Tiafoe will have to wait another year to play for a championship in his hometown tournament.

The sixth-seeded Hyattsville native got the first break of the match late in the first set and would serve for it, but was broken right back and eventually overpowered by Ben Shelton, 7-6 (2), 6-4, in a marquee, capacity-crowd showdown in Rock Creek Park.

The semifinal appearance is the second in the District and fourth of the year for Shelton. The fourth-seeded Shelton moves to 3-1 over his friend and compatriot Tiafoe, who was playing in his fourth-straight D.C. Open quarterfinal. In the previous three, Tiafoe lost to the eventual tournament champion.

Tied at 2-all in the first set tiebreak, Shelton clocked a 143 mph ace, winning the next five points to take the set. In the second, Shelton demonstrated his at-will power, dictating the pace with his baseline strokes before overpowering Tiafoe with grunt-punctuated forehands.

Shelton again dominated a match with his serve to the tune of a 90% first-serve rate. Tiafoe, who was working extensively on his serve in a pre-match practice, got it clicking to 63% in the first set on his firsts. His percentage dropped precipitously in the second, however, falling to 46%.