Thiago Agustin Tirante delivered the biggest upset of his career on Friday at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, sending top seed Ben Shelton out of the tournament in three sets to book his place in the last four at River Oaks Country Club.
The world No. 83 from Argentina defeated the 2024 Houston champion 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 30 minutes, earning only the second top-10 win of his career and guaranteeing at least one Argentine finalist in Sunday’s championship match.
Tirante dropped just three games in his opening match of the week against Colton Smith and conceded only two games in the second round against Mackenzie McDonald, and carried that confidence all the way through to his victory over Shelton. He was relentless from the baseline, winning 88 per cent of his first-serve points and converting all of his break-point opportunities against the American.
“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 after the match. “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.”
Shelton had battled through the first set, forcing a tiebreak before edging it 7-5, but the match turned in the second when the American called for a medical timeout to receive treatment for an apparent neck or upper back injury. He fought on, but Tirante adjusted, raised his level and did not look back.
Fellow Argentine Roman Andres Burruchaga earlier removed third seed Learner Tien from the draw with a composed 7-5, 6-4 victory, winning 42 per cent of his return points and converting three of four break-point chances. The result means an Argentine is guaranteed to reach Sunday’s final for the first time, with Tirante and Burruchaga set to meet in Saturday’s second semifinal — both chasing their first ATP Tour title.
On the other side of the draw, Frances Tiafoe saved a match point in a gruelling 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) win over Alexei Popyrin, and fourth seed Tommy Paul cruised past Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 6-2 to set up an all-American semifinal on Saturday afternoon.
Shelton’s exit ends a difficult week on balance for the top American seeds, with Tien also gone and the tournament’s home hopes now resting with Tiafoe and Paul. Shelton, who skips next week’s Monte Carlo Masters, will resume his European clay campaign in Munich from April 13.
