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

Shelton will ⁠next ‌face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, 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 Tsitsipas in an opening set that lasted only 31 ‌minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"I was focused today," said Shelton, a 2023 US Open semi-finalist. "I played a complete match from start to finish."

"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.

"He lights up stadiums and I think there's going ​to be fireworks again on Tuesday."

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.

"My team told me that if I didn't show up fully focused they would leave," 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.

"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.

"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."

With a two-set cushion, 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.

Shelton is bidding to ‌become the first U.S. man to win a major since Andy Roddick's 2003 triumph at Flushing Meadows.