Ben Shelton, the top seed, defeated Brandon Nakashima in a close match to book his place in the semi-finals of the US Clay Court Championship. It was an interesting day of tennis. After winning his maiden ATP title in October of last year, the 21-year-old Atlanta left-hander is now aiming for his first clay court triumph in Houston, Texas.

Shelton faced a tough challenge from Nakashima, with the match extending to a tie-breaker in the second set. It took Shelton five match points to finally close out the match after two hours and 13 minutes of intense play.

Reflecting on the match, Shelton acknowledged Nakashima's strong performance, particularly on serve, which made the victory even sweeter. He expressed relief and satisfaction at overcoming the pressure in the crucial moments of the match.

Up next for Shelton is a semi-final showdown against Argentine fourth seed Tomás Etcheverry. Etcheverry advanced to the semis after his opponent, Michael Mmoh, retired from their match.

Meanwhile, Italy's Luciano Darderi caused an upset by defeating US seventh seed Marcos Giron to secure his spot in the semi-finals. Darderi will face third-seeded Frances Tiafoe, who also had a strong performance in defeating Australian sixth seed Jordan Thompson.

The stage is set for thrilling semi-final matchups, promising more exciting tennis action as the tournament progresses towards crowning a new champion on the clay courts of Houston.