NEW YORK — Frances Tiafoe tamed a fierce challenge from Ben Shelton in a thrilling all-American match, securing victory with scores of 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3, and advancing to the fourth round of the US Open on Friday.

Having both reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows before, it was Tiafoe who emerged victorious after a grueling four-hour contest, reminiscent of their quarterfinal encounter last year, where young Shelton had claimed the win in four sets.

Although they are close friends off the court, they put their camaraderie aside as Shelton had vowed to bring the intensity, and the match delivered with numerous thrilling moments that had the audience on its feet.

Despite entering the match with a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head record, Shelton’s impressive performance included 23 aces and 63 winners. Nevertheless, Tiafoe got his revenge and is set for a fourth-round matchup against either defending champion Novak Djokovic or Alexei Popyrin.

Coco Gauff Advances

Defending titleholder Coco Gauff faced an early test but regained her focus to clinch her place in the last 16 of the US Open with a resilient 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win against the determined Ukrainian Elina Svitolina on Friday.

Ranked third, Gauff had only dropped six games in her first two matches in New York, but Svitolina proved to be her toughest opponent yet. Gauff rose to the occasion as the match progressed.

“I anticipated today would be difficult. Every time I face Elina, she puts up a fight, so I knew I had to perform at my best,” Gauff mentioned in her post-match interview.

“Overall, I’m pleased with how I played, especially my serves, which were much improved from my last match, apart from the final service game. I’m proud of my performance.”

Gauff overcame a couple of early break points to level the match at 2-2, but Svitolina, the 27th seed, continued to apply pressure, breaking Gauff to take a 5-3 lead and eventually sealing the first set by winning the last 11 points.

However, Svitolina couldn’t maintain her aggressive play and began to switch to a more defensive strategy. Gauff took advantage, breaking for a 4-2 lead in the second set and then closed it out to level the match.

With a desire to redeem herself after some disappointing performances leading up to the US Open, Gauff brought her best in the final set, starting off strong with an early break.

In a remarkable 37-shot rally, Gauff won the next game and quickly established a 4-1 lead with a double break.

As she looked to serve out the match, Gauff faced a brief hiccup after losing a 40-love lead, but she recovered quickly by breaking Svitolina at love in the following game and wrapped up the match when Svitolina hit a forehand into the net.