Carlos Alcaraz is at his "truly impressive" best as far as Ben Shelton can see, but the American is eager for his shot at the seven-time Grand Slam champion in the US Open quarterfinals.
"I think he's playing extremely high level," Shelton said of Alcaraz, defending his title after a four and a half month absence recovering from a right wrist injury.
"To me, he looks very normal – his normal, I mean – which is impressive after not playing for five months," the American added.
"I'm excited for the battle. Never played him here in New York, and obviously in the position that I want to be in."
Alcaraz has won all three of their career meetings, including a victory at Roland Garros last year, but Shelton thinks he has improved enough since then to challenge the Spaniard.
"I thought I played a good match in Paris, but I think I'm serving better, returning much better," Shelton said. "I think my shot tolerance from the baseline, overall quality from the baseline, and my movement have improved.
"It's definitely going to be a different match playing here."
Alcaraz has gone from strength to strength through the first four rounds.
Tha Spaniard has noted improvements not only in his shots but also in his ability to read the game.
His draw-reading skills might need work: After his fourth round win over Tommy Paul, Alcaraz thought he was headed to a quarterfinal against either Frances Tiafoe or Daniil Medvedev, needing a correction from former US Open champion Andy Roddick to set him straight during a television interview.
The 23-year-old, whose Australian Open title in January made him the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, says that on court his serve remains a weak link.
He's hoping he can use his new return strategy to unsettle Shelton, who routed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round behind a stellar serving performance.
"I'm trying to make them think a little bit, Alcaraz said of his tactic of varying his return position. "In a way, you're putting pressure on him."
In a men's draw already lacking injured No 1 Jannik Sinner and further opened up by the early exits of Novak Djokovic, third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime and French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli, the Alcaraz-Shelton showdown is the only possible clash between top-10 players before the final.
Shelton says he is expecting fireworks.
Alcaraz, beloved by New York fans since he captured his first major title here in 2022, knows they'll be backing Shelton come Tuesday.
"I think he uses the crowd, the people behind him, especially when he's playing here at home."’