Three Americans in ATP top 10 for first time since '06
June 16 - Ben Shelton ranked a career-high 10th in the ATP Tour world rankings released Monday, giving the United States three men in the top 10 for the first time in nearly two decades.
Shelton joined No. 4 Taylor Fritz and No. 8 Tommy Paul to mark the first top-10 American trio since Andy Roddick (No. 4), James Blake (No. 7) and Andre Agassi (No. 10) in April 2006.
"That's really cool. A big milestone in tennis," Shelton said Friday after reaching the semifinals in Stuttgart, Germany, and learning of his impending ranking.
The 22-year-old left-hander is only the fourth U.S. southpaw to reach the top 10 since the rankings began in 1973, joining Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Roscoe Tanner.
Fritz moved up three spots after his victory in Stuttgart. Paul took last week off after reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open.
The rest of the top 10 on Monday features seven players from seven different countries, led by World No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, and Alexander Zverev of Germany.
--Field Level Media
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Times
29 minutes ago
- Times
Liam Delap makes instant impact — in front of 53,000 empty seats
Maybe scheduling a fixture in a new, little-known tournament for 3pm on a Monday was not the best idea. Chelsea kicked off their Club World Cup campaign with a victory over MLS outfit Los Angeles FC, led by an impressive Nicolas Jackson seeking to see off new competition from Liam Delap, although there were not many there to see it at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia. An attendance of just 22,137, inside a stadium that can hold up to 75,000, made for uncomfortable viewing for Fifa. Ticket prices had tumbled ahead of kick off, with the cheapest falling to £38 on the day of the game despite being listed for £72 at the turn of the year, with supporters handed some money back as prices fell while others were moved from the cheaper top tier, which was closed, into the more expensive lower tier. But the low attendance was eye-catching, not least as this was in a city that styles itself as the 'epicentre of soccer', and with good reason too. Atlanta United, the MLS side who play here, are one of the best-supported teams in the country, averaging a gate of about 44,000 this season. To the south, roughly a 30-minute drive away, the new $250 million training base of the United States Men's National Team, is being constructed on a 200-acre site, and will open in 2026. Last year a crowd of 38,000 turned up for a friendly between Chelsea and Club America while two years ago, Chelsea visited with Newcastle United and packed out the ground with more than 70,000 supporters. Miguel Almiron was a big pull that day but it seems the Club World Cup has passed many by. It surely must have helped, of course, that those previous games were not held during the middle of a working day. For Chelsea, 19 days had elapsed since they tasted Conference League success in Wroclaw and there was a familiar feeling to the line-up from Enzo Maresca, who opted against handing debuts to the new signings in his group, so Liam Delap, along with Andrey Santos, Dário Essugo, Mamadou Sarr and Mike Penders, all started on the bench. LAFC meanwhile fielded the same side that defeated Club America, meaning Lloris started in goal and Olivier Giroud, formerly of Chelsea, was on the bench. Unsurprisingly, Chelsea controlled much of the first period, enjoying long spells of possession to the backdrop of a small, enthusiastic pocket of LAFC supporters, numbering about 200 or so behind Lloris's goal, whose chants and drum beat echoed around the sparsely-populated arena. There was no issue with temperature here, as the roof was closed, ensuring the players escaped the worst of the 31 degree heat outside, though the game still lacked much in intensity. PAUL ELLIS / AFP Jackson, now under pressure with Delap his new in-house competition, was the standout performer, producing a spin and shot after five minutes that was saved and then creating an excellent chance for Noni Madueke, side-stepping his marker with neat footwork before finding the Chelsea winger, in on goal from an angle, but the shot was saved well by Lloris. Jackson then created the opening goal on 34 minutes, once more evading defender Aaron Long with strong hold- up play near halfway, before setting Neto free down the right. The Chelsea winger entered the box and faked to shoot, sending full back Ryan Hollingshead sliding off to Atlanta's Coca Cola world, before steadying his feet to fire left-footed past Lloris. After a delayed start to the second half, because the substitute Olivier Giroud seemed not to have a shirt, LAFC started brightly, with David Martinez going close twice. For as long as Chelsea lacked a second goal, there was risk. Jackson saw a header blocked on the line but the winger Denis Bouanga, LAFC's talisman, should have equalised when he shrugged off Neto in the box, only to see his low shot saved well by the feet of Robert Sanchez. ROBBIE JAY BARRATT/GETTY IMAGES Delap made his entry on 63 minutes, replacing Jackson and he helped to kill the game. He picked out Enzo Fernandez with a cutback, but his shot was well blocked by Long, but with 12 minutes to play Delap picked the Argentine out again, this time with a lofted cross, and Fernandez made no mistake. That rounded off a promising cameo from Delap, providing a physical presence. LAFC still threatened; Sanchez again denied Bouanga. But Chelsea held firm, and banked £1.5 million with victory. Chelsea (4-2-3-1): R Sanchez 6; R James 6 (M Gusto 46), Tosin 6, L Colwill 6, M Cucurella 6; R Lavia 6 (E Fernandez 46 7), M Caicedo 6 (D Essugo 83); P Neto 7, C Palmer 7 (C Nkunku 83), N Madueke 6 (T George 64); N Jackson 8 (L Delap 64). Booked: R James. Tosin LAFC (4-3-3): (4-3-3): H Lloris 6 — S Palencia 5, A Long 5, E Segura 5, R Hollingshead 5 — I Jesus 5 (F Amaya 81), M Delgado 6, T Tillman 7 — N Ordaz 5 (D Martínez 39, 7), J Ebobisse 6 (O Giroud 46, 6), D Bouanga 7. Booked D Martínez.
The Guardian
32 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Fans stay away as Fernández seals Chelsea win over LAFC at Club World Cup
Chelsea bought Liam Delap to score goals but they will not complain if their new No 9 also makes them. There is range to Delap's game and this was an impressive start from the 22-year-old, whose late assist for Enzo Fernández ensured that his new side opened their Club World Cup campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC. Enzo Maresca will be pleased. There is healthy competition for places in attack now that Delap has joined for the bargain price of £30m. Nicolas Jackson looks ready for the battle. He responded well, setting up the opening goal for Pedro Neto as Chelsea cruised past limited opposition from Major League Soccer in Group D. As for Fifa, the disappointment was that so few supporters were there to witness it. A mid-afternoon kick-off did not help draw in the crowds at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where 22,137 fans were present in a ground that can hold 75,000. The low turnout was all the more embarrassing given that this is not a place where football usually suffers from a lack of attention. This is the self-styled centre of soccer in the US, so much so that the new National Training Centre is being built on a 200-acre site a half-hour drive from the city, but few locals seemed aware this game was taking place. Ticket prices had tumbled in the hours before kick-off, the upper tiers were shut and the unfortunate effect of so many empty seats was making it seem as if the organisers had decided to amuse themselves with some kind of social-distancing experiment. At least the small pocket of noisy LAFC fans behind one of the goals tried to build an atmosphere. It was worth remembering, though, that this ground is not normally so quiet. Atlanta United, who play their MLS fixtures here, averaged attendances close to 45,000 last season, while over 70,000 supporters were present to watch Chelsea face Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly two years ago. Of course, it did not help that nobody expected LAFC to offer much after winning a playoff against Club América. They brought familiar faces to the party – Hugo Lloris started in goal and the former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud was on the bench – but the reality is that Steve Cherundolo's side were only taking part because Club León were disqualified due to a breach of Fifa's multi-club regulations. Chelsea, on the other hand, will play in the Champions League next season, have the advantage of Premier League riches and are full of confidence after winning the Conference League last month. This was never going to be a fair fight. It hardly mattered that Chelsea began with their £106.8m Argentina midfielder, Fernández, on the bench. They were still too quick and strong LAFC during a one-sided first half and should have been ahead long before Neto opened the scoring shortly before half-time. Cole Palmer, ackson and Noni Madueke all went close to breaking the deadlock. LAFC struggled to deal with Chelsea's width and they were not equipped to deal with the pace, power and movement of Jackson, whose starting place is under threat after the arrival of Delap from Ipswich. Maresca will be encouraged to see the Senegal striker respond well to the extra competition in attack. Jackson was hungry and he was integral to the opening goal, dropping deep and playing a reverse pass down the right to release Neto, who cut inside and drove on to his left foot before slamming a low shot past Lloris. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Chelsea, who are interested in the Lyon winger Malick Fofana, were untroubled at the other end. Maresca picked a familiar lineup and opted against starting any new signings, although fatigue was a concern. Roméo Lavia and Reece James are still being carefully managed and were replaced by Fernández and Malo Gusto at half-time. LAFC also made changes. There was farce when Giroud's entrance was delayed because he had no shirt. The master of the near-post flick stood on the touchline, topless and bemused until a teammate ferried over a new one. And maybe the slapstick got to Chelsea, who made a sluggish start to the second half. David Martínez, an LAFC substitute, twice threatened after beating Marc Cucurella, and Denis Bouanga drew a good save from Robert Sánchez after bursting through on the left. Maresca responded by replacing Jackson with Delap. The striker was soon involved, driving down the right and almost giving Fernández a tap-in. Neto then set up Palmer, who shot wastefully over. Chelsea duly restored order during the closing stages, pulling clear when Delap crossed for Fernández to make it 2-0. There was concern when Moises Caicedo went down with cramp. However, perhaps the fact that clubs can pocket $2m through group-stage victories will make the pain easier to ignore.
The Sun
44 minutes ago
- The Sun
Chelsea 2 LAFC 0: Liam Delap gets assist on Blues debut as Enzo Maresca's side make perfect start at Club World Cup
PEDRO NETO and Enzo Fernandez sunk Los Angeles FC to open Chelsea's Club World Cup account. Portuguese wizard Neto was at his tricky best as the Blues battled past the MLS side in Atlanta. 8 8 8 8 8 Enzo Maresca gave starts to Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson in the searing Georgian heat. The Blues dominated the early stages against the nervy Americans, who packed in deep infront of a small band of noisy ultras from California. Palmer and Jackson both went close as Maresca's men began to take control. And it was Neto who sealed the breakthrough, twisting and turning his marker inside out on the right side of the box. The Portuguese winger sized up LA's Hugo Lloris, before hammering past the ex-Spurs keeper at his near post. Tempers flared at the break as Neto got into a shoving match with Denis Bouanga. Both were lucky to avoid a card, with Reece James saving his teammate from a potentially needless incident. And it was the lively Bouanga who almost levelled after the restart, with Robert Sanchez saving brilliantly with his legs after the Frenchman burst into the box. LA called for some French inspiration off the bench, bringing on former Chelsea legend Olivier Giroud. Chelsea followed suit by bringing new £30million signing Liam Delap on for his debut. Delap looked sharp and eager from the off, providing the second on a plate for Enzo Fernandez. Chelsea stars including Cole Palmer fly to the US for Club World Cup The England U21 star peeled off his marker and was released down the wing by Palmer. Delap took one look up and chipped in a perfect cross for Fernandez to bundle in. LA continued to show heart and should have at least grabbed a consolation. 8 Bouanga was released over the top late in the contest, only to fire straight at Sanchez. And there was still time for Neto to slam the crossbar with a stunning strike in the final seconds. It was job done for Maresca's men, who now face Brazil's Flamengo on Friday in control of Group D. 8
