Ben Shelton holds his crown towards CFs in Tokyo | ATP Tour

Tokio

Shelton holds his crown to CF in Tokyo

The current champion separates Navone in the Japanese ATP

September 27, 2024

Ben Shelton has written a pact with victory at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.

The American beat Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-3 this Friday to reach the quarterfinals in Tokyo, where he accumulated an impeccable record (7-0) in individual mode.

On a day marked by rain, the American had the opportunity to unleash his crude service with a completely closed Ariake Colosseum. In condition indoorShelton wrote a demanding match for his rival, who had only two ATP Tour victories on hard courts in his entire career.

“I think Mariano has played really well and made things difficult for me,” Shelton said after taking advantage of three of the five breaking balls he generated in the game. “It was a great duel, different from my first round. I feel like I’m getting into good shape.”

“I did a good job of adjusting, the ball bounced much lower. Although it is my seventh singles match in Tokyo, it was the first time I competed with the roof closed. You can always find new challenges and situations with the weather. We are lucky to have a roof over their heads and not have to wait for it to die down.

The eighth seed competes in Japan with the opportunity to write a historic moment. Shelton is trying to become the first player to retain the Tokyo title since Pete Sampras in 1993-94 and will face French #NextGenATP Arthur Fils in the second round.

The Frenchman advanced after Matteo Berrettini retired with an abdominal injury despite dominating the score 7-6(5) after an intense first set. Fils, just 20 years old, had surprised first seed Arthur Fils to consolidate his lead at the top of the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah.

In the duel that opened the day at the Japanese ATP 500, Jack Draper surprised second seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4 without surrendering serve. The 22-year-old Briton added his third Top 10 victory of the season and will face Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the quarterfinals, who defeated American Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 6-2 in the final match on Friday.

Did you know that…?
Ben Shelton aspires to become the third American tennis player with multiple ATP Tour titles this week in the 2024 season. The Houston champion is looking for a show of strength, following in the footsteps of his compatriots Tommy Paul (Dallas, Queen’s) and Taylor Fritz (Delray Beach, Eastbourne).