Thiago Agustin Tirante rallied from a set down to upset top seed Ben Shelton at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston on Friday.
Shelton edged a tight first set 7-6(5), but Tirante bounced back to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-4, winning all 16 of his service games in a flawless serving performance.
The loss continues a difficult run for Shelton, who has not progressed beyond the round of 16 since winning the Dallas Open in February, where he defeated Taylor Fritz in the final.
Elsewhere in Houston, Roman Andres Burruchaga defeated third seed Learner Tien 7-5, 6-4, while Tommy Paul beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 6-2.
Second seed Frances Tiafoe outlasted Alexei Popyrin 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) in a match lasting two hours and 47 minutes. He will face Paul in an all-American semi-final, while Tirante meets Burruchaga.
At the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, Marco Trungelliti upset third seed Corentin Moutet 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, firing six aces to overcome eight double faults.
In another three-set match, Camilo Ugo Carabelli defeated Luca van Assche 0-6, 6-3, 6-2. Spain’s Rafael Jodar beat Alexandre Muller 6-2, 2-0 (retired), while Luciano Darderi advanced via walkover against Yannick Hanfmann.
At the Tiriac Open in Bucharest, play resumed after weather disruptions with eight matches completed on Friday.
Early winners included Spain’s Daniel Merida Aguilar, France’s Titouan Droguet, Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan and Germany’s Daniel Altmaier.
Later, Botic van de Zandschulp, Mariano Navone, Merida Aguilar and Marozsan advanced to the semi-finals. Third seed Marozsan beat Altmaier 6-2, 7-6(5), while Merida Aguilar outlasted Droguet 4-6, 7-6(7), 3-1 (retired).
