Ben Shelton reaches first ATP final at Japan Open, will meet Russia’s Aslan Karatsev
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Ben Shelton reacts after a point against Marcos Giron during their Japan Open semi-final clash.
PHOTO: AFP
TOKYO – Rising American star Ben Shelton does not know how to give up, and his resilience paid off in the end at the Japan Open on Saturday.
The 21-year-old fought back to reach his first ATP Tour final after a semi-final win over qualifier Marcos Giron.
He beat the world No. 79 and fellow American 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in Tokyo to set up a showdown with Russia’s Aslan Karatsev, who beat Japanese wild card Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3, 6-4.
“It’s a huge achievement for me and my team,” said Shelton, who has now won 13 of his last 15 matches.
“Especially the way that the match panned out today. Definitely one of the toughest matches I’ve played in my life.
“You know, Marcos was waxing me from the baseline in almost every rally, and I had to completely change my game up to even have a chance to compete against him.
“So to be able to get through that match and not only figure some things out but get a win, and be going into my first ATP final, the win couldn’t be sweeter.”
Shelton was appearing in only the second semi-final of his young career after remarkably reaching the same stage at the US Open in September.
He also made it to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January.
The American threw away a winning position to lose the first set but battled back from two breaks down in the second, in which he trailed 5-2 and was on the verge of defeat.
Shelton then rode the momentum to take the third set, closing out the match with an ace before letting out a roar and thumping his chest in exhilaration.
It was an intense match and Shelton was fortunate to clinch victory, as he had 41 winners and 28 unforced errors – Giron fared slightly better with 43 and 24 respectively.
In the crucial moments it was the former who was simply better.
On Friday, Shelton said that he was surprised with how his career had took off so quickly.
He is still taking classes at the University of Florida but would have to “see if it’s something that I continue to do” or decide to leave his education until later.
The world No. 19 is the highest-ranked player left in the tournament after a week of upsets – world No. 215 Mochizuki had knocked out American top seed Taylor Fritz in the second round.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Norway’s Casper Ruud also exited the tournament early. AFP
