Ben Shelton reaches Cincinnati Open quarterfinals

USA Today

2 days ago

Ben Shelton is back in another Masters 1000 quarterfinal after defeating Camilo Ugo Carabelli (Round of 64), Roberto Bautista Agut (Round of 32) and Jiri Lehecka (Round of 16) at the Cincinnati Open this week.
Although there was concern that Shelton would come out of the gate sluggishly in Cincinnati after winning in Toronto, the World No. 6 has continued his now nine-game win streak without too much trouble. An opening-match withdrawal lightened the stress, but the rain brought it right back after delaying the Bautista Agut match twice.
The Lehecka match proved that Shelton is learning to handle the rigors of the ATP Tour schedule like a seasoned vet, despite being just 22 years old. He stuck to his game plan and is back in the Cincinnati quarterfinals for a second consecutive year. Shelton's been a hometown favorite at the event since making his Masters 1000 debut there in 2022. He's the only American left in the field, so expect things to be loud after every point moving forward.
Looking ahead, Shelton faces World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, who holds a 3-0 record in the head-to-head. It's also a rematch of last year's Cincinnati quarterfinal, where Zverev won in three sets, 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-5. Shelton's a different player a year later, though.
Fans can tune in to the match on the Tennis Channel or with a subscription to the channel's streaming service.
Round of 64: Ben Shelton def. Camilo Ugo Carabelli (6-3, 3-1; walkover)
A first-round bye gave Shelton a bit of time between Toronto and Cincinnati, and his second-round win over Camilo Ugo Carabelli came in just 64 minutes as the Argentine retired with a knee injury. He's the first Canada champion to win his Cincinnati opener since 2021.
'It's definitely not easy to play a couple of days after winning a title,' Shelton said. 'I feel for Camilo, and it's obviously not the way that you want to go through. I hope that he has a quick recovery."
Shelton double-faulted the opening point of each of his first two service games and had to go to deuce to hold serve in the opener. After a pair of aces gave Shelton his second service hold, the next three games reached a break point.
Each player narrowly escaped the first break of the day, but Shelton got the job done in Game 6, winning after one advantage. Shelton won the next game to love, taking control of the set, 5-2. Ugo held his service game, but couldn't stop Shelton from taking the first set in nine games. The set ended with an unintentionally funny moment as Ugo Carabelli tossed his racquet across the court in frustration.
Shelton was on his way to a second-set victory, breaking Ugo Carabelli in the third game. Ugo grabbed his knee in the opening point of the next game and walked over to the next after Shelton went up 3-1.
Round 32: Ben Shelton def. Roberto Bautista Agut (7-6 (3), 6-3)
Rain delayed Shelton's Round of 32 match against Roberto Bautista Agut, which was scheduled for the night session on Tuesday. A washout postponed the match to Wednesday, and more weather forced another two-hour delay.
'The rain delay was a little reset for me,' Shelton said. 'I came out playing much more aggressive tennis, my brand of tennis, and I'm happy how I finished it.
'I don't think I did a great job [handling the match postponement last night]. We were here late last night and I wasn't able to wind down and get to sleep right away. It was tough to get up this morning and be ready for a 1 o'clock match. It was a tough day at the office for sure.'
Shelton fended off three break points in a 12-point first game to hold serve. He dealt with two more break points in his next service match, while Bautista Agut dropped just two points over his first two. Things settled down after that, as both players held serve without giving more than a return point until Game 11.
An unforced error put Shelton down 15-30 in his final service game of the set, but that's when his serve started to pick up. The aces began flowing — 10 in the first set, including the tiebreaker opening point. He followed up with a pair of return wins to go up 3-1 in the 'breaker. A double fault got Bautista Agut on the board, but Shelton finished it off comfortably. A quarter of the Spaniard's 16 first-set unforced errors came during the tiebreaker.
Bautista Agut threatened early once again in the second set, but Shelton is 29-1 this season after winning the first set. Aided by three aces, Shelton held off another three break points and won a 14-point grueler. Shelton's learned to get out of these early-game threats against lower-ranked players, but it might be something higher-ranked players target as a weakness.
After a pair of service holds, Shelton finished off a double-break point opportunity, taking total control of the match. All he had to do was hold serve while conserving energy on the return. That's exactly what happened until Shelton decided to finish off the game early with a match-deciding break.
Despite the decisive win on paper, this wasn't Shelton's finest outing. He had ups and downs with his serve, converting 53% on the day. However, he saved himself often on second serve, winning 22 of 37 opportunities (59%).
Round of 16: Ben Shelton def. Jiri Lehecka (6-4, 6-4)
When Shelton and Lehecka met in Stuttgart earlier this year, the former Gator broke the World No. 26 in the 10th game twice to win in straight sets. This time, Shelton got both of his breaks in the ninth game since Lehecka got the first serve. Whatever Shelton's game plan is for the 26-year-old Czech needn't be changed, as he cruised to a ninth straight win.
"I'm hungry. I'm in a good rhythm," Shelton said when asked about the key behind his nine-match winning streak. "I'm playing good tennis and my body feels good. I think the confidence along with not being satisfied, wanting to prove myself over and over every time that I'm out on the court, and having things that I want to get better at is a huge motivation for me and it pushes me every match."
Lehecka and Shelton traded service holds to open the first set, with the latter double-faulting to interrupt both games finishing to love. Lehecka had his own double fault in the next game, but won it with the first ace of the day from either man.
Shelton held serve to love before pushing Lehecka to two break points in the fifth game. He couldn't get the job done, and Lehecka responded with a threat of his own, pushing the sixth game to deuce. Both players used a pair of aces to hold serve through the next two games, steadying things at four apiece.
That's when the maturity came out from Shelton. He's learned to dig deep in the critical moments to win games. Not everyone has that. Shelton won the final eight points of the first set to take the win, and everyone knows what happens when he wins the first one.
Shelton carried the momentum over into the next set, nearly breaking Lehecka in the opening game. However, Shelton slipped up after that and got into one of those lulls he has that prolongs matches. Lehecka broke him to go up 2-0, and the threat of a third set loomed. Shelton responded with a break of his own, and then the two went back and forth trading service holds until they reached another 4-4 tie.
Triple break point. Shelton breaks. Three aces to finish it off. Vintage.
Ben Shelton's ATP Ranking
Advancing to the quarterfinals means Shelton will have at least 4,280 points when the rankings next update. He entered the Cincinnati Open with 4,320, up 190 points on No. 7 Novak Djokovic, but a staggered schedule means he's still at a net loss of 40 points despite the quarterfinal repeat. Still, he sits 150 points of Djokovic heading into the US Open.
Passing Jack Draper, who is rehabbing an arm injury ahead of the US Open, is still in the cards, too. Draper has 4,440 points in the No. 5 spot. A semifinal appearance would get the job done.
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