Former NCAA star Ben Shelton is one of the clearest talents to emerge in this first phase of the season. The US player born in 2002 joins the long line of American players who preside over the top floors of the world ranking.
The Atlanta-born tennis player made himself known to most thanks to his extraordinary run at the Australian Open, which saw him push himself to the quarterfinals, beaten only by his countryman Tommy Paul. The current number 38 is engaged in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open, against Jan Lennard Struff, yesterday’s executioner of our blue Lorenzo Sonego.
Shelton in addition to having a powerful serve has shown that he has a variety of strokes, for his young age, very varied. Precisely on the occasion of the match against the German, the American amazed the audience by performing a fantastic backstroke to the ball As he ran on the baseline, placing the ball in the corner of the court.
A shot like a true champion, that of Ben, who deserved a real ovation from the stands, leaving the innocent Struff stunned. However, this extraordinary play was not enough for the result. After an initial lead of a set, there was the return of Warstein’s tennis player, who first equalized the scores and then, after an interruption due to the rain, took the match home.
In the next round Struff will face the winner between Felix Auger Aliassime and Dusan Lajovic, recent winner of the ATP 250 in Banja Luka.
SHOT OF THE YEAR CONTENDER 🤒@BenShelton goes behind-the-back!!!
#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/BXQVp8mzLC — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 29, 2023
The men’s results on the day 4
Dominic Thiem becomes the protagonist of an incredible match at the Mutua Madrid Open 2023, but Stefanos Tsitsipas wins: the result is 3-6, 6-1, 7-6.
Perfect first set by the Grand Slam champion, who shows that he has found physical shape and above all a certain confidence on the shot that, since he was injured, he feared the most: the forehand. Thiem won the first set thanks to the technical superiority on the backhand side.
In the second set (and continues in the decisive third) he served only firsts, 32, to be exact. Once the serve has been found, Tsitsipas finds himself and thanks also to plays of a certain quality he conquers the second set.
In the third set, it is a struggle by the Austrian to cancel break points and he always succeeds, as a true fighter. The tiebreak is the marked conclusion of this incredible match: a mini break for the Austrian immediately, but the Greek recovers, who then snatches another mini break only in the final points.
It’s enough to get match points: the first is canceled, but the second is good to close the last match on the central court in Madrid In addition to the victory of number one Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Shevchenko’s crushing victory against Jiri Lehecka with a double 6 -1: it will be a Russian derby with the country’s number one in the third round.
Safiullin and Karatsev also win, respectively against the American Paul and the Dutch Van de Zandschulp. Among the seeds, everyone wins and convinces: successes for Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Cameron Norrie. The real surprise of the day is the victory of Dusan Laj ovic against Felix Auger Aliassime: 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 was the result in favor of the winner of the Banja Luka tournament.