There was more danger in the fourth set, too, as Shelton faced a break point serving at 2-3. But after stabilizing and holding, Shelton reached a tiebreak where he broke away, winning the last three points from 4-all to close it out. He ripped one last forehand winner on match point.

“I mean, I feel relieved right now,” Shelton said in his on-court interview. “Shout out to Lorenzo Sonego, because that was some ridiculous tennis.”

It was a high-quality match from both players, Shelton finishing with 21 more winners than unforced errors (54 to 33), while Sonego was also in the positive (63 to 55).

In the American’s first major semifinal at the 2023 US Open he faced Novak Djokovic, going down to the eventual champion in straight sets. In the semis here, he’ll face either world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, or Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur.