Frances Tiafoe overcame Ben Shelton in a thrilling all-American clash in the third round of the US Open on Friday, the 20th seed twice coming from behind to win in five sets.
Both players have reached the semi-final stage at Flushing Meadows previously, with Shelton doing so last year when beating Tiafoe in the last eight.
But Tiafoe gained revenge over the 21-year-old this time round, battling back to beat the 13th seed 4-6 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-3 in a match lasting over four hours.
Shelton, who held a 2-0 head-to-head record going into the contest, sent down 23 aces and 63 winners in the contest, but it wasn't to be enough, with Tiafoe securing a fourth-round meeting with either defending champion Novak Djokovic or Alexei Popyrin.
- US Open Tennis 2024 - Live updates from Flushing Meadows
- Latest US Open scores and schedule I Men's draw I Women's draw
- Stream every moment of the US Open and more with NOW
- Download the Sky Sports App I Follow @SkySportsTennis
Staying with the American interest in the men's singles, 12th seed Taylor Fritz comfortably saw off Argentina's Franciso Comesana with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win.
Bulgarian ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov carved out a comfortable 6-3 6-3 6-1 win over Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor to set up a fourth round showdown with sixth seed Andrey Rublev, who also won in straight sets, beating Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3 7-5 6-4.
Alexander Zverev won a four-set match that proved to be the second-latest finish ever at the US Open.
He conceded the first set against Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry but racked up the next three to progress, winning 5-7 7-5 6-1 6-3.
"It was a great atmosphere. It was so much fun to play. Tomas played an incredible match. He had me on the ropes for the first two sets," Zverev said.
"I'm just glad that I came through and won. He played extremely well. I feel I had to make the match very physical and make it as long as possible."
Tiafoe: I hope you enjoyed the show
Frances Tiafoe, speaking to Sky Sports courtside:
"Ben is an incredible player. He really is. He goes for all kinds of shots, he has no care in the world, and it's really annoying. He has a great serve and great energy out here.
"He's really talented, comes up with great shots, and so can I. We both move really well and it's just highlight after highlight.
"I hope you enjoyed the show, four hours of this."
Henman: Tiafoe never blinked, deserves fourth-round spot
Sky Sports' Tim Henman:
"Tiafoe deserves all the credit in the world.
"When he lost that third-set tie-break, you wondered whether his chance was over. But he kept that focus, kept that quality and got back on level terms.
"When he got that decisive break of serve in the fifth set, he never blinked. He absolutely deserves to be through to the fourth round."
Gauff fights back from set down to beat Svitolina
In the women's singles, defending champion Coco Gauff recovered from being a set down to beat Elina Svitolina 3-6 6-3 6-3 in the third round of the US Open.
The third seed made mistake after mistake in the first set on Arthur Ashe Stadium, dropping the 11 points of the opener to lose it 6-3 against 27th-seeded Svitolina.
But Gauff raised her level thereafter, managing to reel off nine of 11 games at one point as she came from behind to win, something she did three times en route to winning last year's tournament - including in the final against Aryna Sabalenka.
Gauff's victory also ends a five-match losing streak against top-50 opponents.
On Sunday, she will either play fellow American Emma Navarro, who beat Gauff in the fourth round at Wimbledon this summer, after the 13th seed beat Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-4 4-6 6-3.
Elsewhere, Olympic gold medallist, and seventh seed, China's Qinwen Zheng cruised to a convincing 6-2 6-1 win over Jule Niemeier of Germany to reach the fourth round.
Victoria Azarenka, US Open finalist in 2012, 2013 and 2020, is out of the tournament after the Belarusian lost 6-4 3-6 6-1 to China's Yafan Wang, who will next face Paula Badosa of Spain after her 4-6 6-1 7-6 (10-8) victory over Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Aryna Sabalenka didn't start her match until after midnight local time and had to regroup to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova after dropping the first set. Last year's finalist eventually won in three sets - 2-6 6-1 6-2.
Gauff: The crowd always give me energy
Coco Gauff, speaking to Sky Sports courtside:
"It was a tough match. I got a little bit nervous at the end, but I was able to find my nerves and try and focus.
"I'm really proud and overall very happy with how I played. Elina is not an easy player at all, especially so early in the tournament.
"I was using the crowd to my advantage, they always give me energy. I was trying my best to stay pumped but also stay clam - sometimes the adrenaline can be too much. It's about finding the balance.
"There's still a long way to go. I'm focused on the match in front of me and I'm just enjoying it."
Henman: Gauff will need to raise her level
Sky Sports' Tim Henman:
"It's about winning. It looks stressful out there but she has done very well to respond.
"The stress levels were enormous. You can see from her reaction, she's pleased with the win, but it's also massive relief.
"She's got the job done but there is room for improvement. It's a sign of a great player when you can win without playing great.
"She is still in a good place, she's still in the tournament and she can still play better. I just think when she comes up against better players, she is going to need to raise her level."
Sky Sports' Feliciano Lopez:
"A win is a win. After a bad start, she found a way to turn the situation around and she ended up winning the match.
"It's about surviving sometimes. She doesn't always look good on the court, tennis-wise, but she found a way and she will have another opportunity [in the fourth round].
"It showed that Coco is a great competitor and sometimes you win when being a better competitor than the rest. I think the belief is there."
- Get Sky Sports Tennis | Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp
- Download the Sky Sports App I Follow @SkySportsTennis
What's coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in September?
- Jasmin Open, Tunisia - WTA 250 (9-15 September)
- Guadalajara Open, Mexico - WTA 500 (9-15 September)
- Korea Open - WTA 500 (16 -22 September - with Emma Raducanu in action)
- Thailand Open - WTA 250 (16 -22 September)
- Chengdu Open, China - ATP 250 (18-24 September)
- Hangzhou Open, China - ATP 250 (18-24 September)
- China Open - WTA 1000 (Sept 25 - Oct 6)
- Japan Open - ATP 500 (Sept 25 - Oct 1)
- China Open - ATP 500 (Sept 26 - Oct 2)
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.