Shelton moves on at US Open as he prepares for Alcaraz showdown

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/shelton-ben/QNuG0Gzb/"]Shelton[/a] will ⁠next ‌face defending champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alcaraz-garfia-carlos/UkhgIFEq/"]Carlos Alcaraz,[/a] and ​the 23-year-old showed he has the tools ​to trouble the Spaniard, blending raw power with a delicate ⁠touch ​and sharp decision-making to overwhelm [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tsitsipas-stefanos/hb6oWfc6/"]Tsitsipas[/a] in an opening set that lasted only 31 ‌minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.[/p][p][b]"I was focused today,"[/b] said Shelton, a 2023 US Open semi-finalist. [b]"I played a complete match from start to finish."[/b][/p][p][b]"The level that he's ‌playing at is really impressive. To ⁠not play for almost ‌five months and do what he's doing is superhuman, and we're ​happy to have him back.[/b][/p][p][b]"He lights up stadiums and I think there's going ​to be fireworks again on Tuesday."[/b][/p][embed guid="660a679b-c2a9-4ee3-abde-bade4ecb872d" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIpODlC1XCs" social-type="youtube" /][p]Shelton blended raw power with a delicate touch and sharp decision-making to overwhelm ⁠Tsitsipas in an ​opening set that lasted only 31 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.[/p][p][b]"My team told me that if I didn't show up fully focused they would leave,"[/b] joked Shelton, who ‌is bidding to become the first U.S. man to win a major since Andy Roddick's 2003 triumph at Flushing Meadows.[/p][p][b]"I was focused; it was a good match from start to finish. It was my first straightforward match this year, and I'm happy I can play this way in front of you.[/b][/p][p][b]"When you play on this court every year, it feels like you start ‌over again and the nerves hit. I finally found ​my groove and was in a flow state. Playing ‌on the greatest court in the world is an unbelievable feeling."[/b][/p][p]With a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/shelton-b-QNuG0Gzb/tsitsipas-s-hb6oWfc6/?mid=jwb5lR0e"]two-set cushion[/a], Shelton sprinkled some showmanship into the clash in the next with a soaring overhead smash before racing away and completing an emphatic win ‌with a comfortable hold ​of serve.[/p][p]Shelton is bidding to ‌become the first U.S. man to win a major since [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/roddick-andy/UDkyswKh/"]Andy Roddick[/a]'s 2003 triumph at Flushing Meadows.[/p][embed guid="0b3da0a9-9a6c-4d89-9313-a866c8cd4220" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpDqlBDYvZY" social-type="youtube" /][infobox id="3dc51b3a-107f-482b-9173-a97d347ef1b3" /]