Ben Shelton proved his sportsmanlike character as he graciously congratulated opponent Frances Tiafoe, following his defeat to the fellow American at the US Open.

The pair played out an unforgettable five-set clash on Arthur Ashe’s court. Remarkably, Tiafoe managed to climb back up and clinch victory in five sets, an overturning of their previous encounter’s result during the quarterfinals in last year’s tournament.

Understandably, Shelton was left to grapple with disappointment after witnessing his dreams for a Grand Slam title slip away for another year. Nevertheless, he did not shy away from expressing genuine happiness for Tiafoe, with the pair being good friends behind the scenes in the locker room.

An emotionally charged moment followed the match when the two shared a lengthy hug at the net. Following this, Shelton remarked: “Obviously I thought he played lights-out today.

“That was one of the things you’ve got to be happy for a guy and congratulate, especially a guy like him when he’s playing the way he’s playing. I think that it’s important to show it sometimes that, you know, you can be happy for a guy when they beat you.

“Obviously there are some things I want to do better. I’m a competitor. I always want to win. But, you know, I’ve taken a few things from him in the past year, and I thought that he’s always handled it well.

“You know, maybe not like a big embrace when we’re on the court. But soon or right after it’s like things are back to normal.

“But one of those cool environments in matches to be a part of. It didn’t feel right to just go up with a negative look on my face, shake his hand and walk off the court, because he played some great ball today.

“I told him, you know, keep serving like that, keep returning like that, and see where this thing goes. Obviously he took me out here, so let’s see what he can do.”

When asked to elaborate on his comment about “a guy like that”, Shelton clarified: “Just a guy like that, how good of a guy he is, always smiling, not really ever a negative look on his face.

“One of those guys that’s fun to be around in the locker room. You know, he’s always cracking jokes. Even I beat him in the final of Houston, he’s giving me shots in his post-match speech, just like a good guy. I didn’t mean anything negative by it. Just a great guy, yeah.”

Shelton and Tiafoe are leading the charge of an exciting new generation of American tennis stars. They are two of five men ranked between 10 and 20 in the world entering the tournament, joining Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda.

Shelton commented: “I think it’s really cool to see where American tennis is going. It’s not just me and Foe, you know, there’s four or five other guys in the mix.”

“We all are going to have our moments to shine. There is peaks and valleys in this sport, for sure. I just gotta continue to improve.”

“I know that this is, even though, you know, maybe I looked happy for him or excited for him after the match, it definitely lit a fire underneath me. I’m not someone who likes to lose; I hate losing.”

“Yeah, I’m excited to see where American tennis goes, and I’m going to continue doing my part and go back to the drawing board, you know, look at those things that I did today that I wish I hadn’t done and try to get better.”