Toronto champion Ben Shelton to start Cincy against Argentine outsider
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American Ben Shelton talking to his team in Toronto, where he won his first Masters 1000 title.
PHOTO: AFP
CINCINNATI – Newly minted Canadian Open champion Ben Shelton will open his account at the Cincinnati Open on Aug 10 against Camilo Ugo Carabelli, after the Argentinian defeated Kei Nishikori 7-5, 6-3.
World No. 6 Shelton flew in on a private jet after winning his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto on Aug 7, and will make his start after a first-round bye in the final major tune-up before the US Open begins on Aug 24.
The 47th-ranked Ugo Carabelli dominated 2014 US Open finalist Nishikori as the former top Asian tennis player succumbed to 22 unforced errors and lost his serve three times.
The Japanese player, 35, was playing his first match since retiring injured in Geneva in mid-May.
Ugo Carabelli has played his best on clay, reaching four semi-finals on the dirt this season and will aim to carry the momentum to the hard court. But he faces a big challenge.
As Cincinnati fifth seed and with confidence still strong, the 22-year-old Shelton would be a formidable contender for a pre-US Open title double.
“I hope that this (Toronto) week kick-starts me and gets me more consistent with the type of tennis that I want to play day in and day out,” he said in Canada.
“It’s certainly going to push me to work harder.
“I feel like I have a good grasp now on the things that really work for me against guys who are playing some of the best tennis in the world, and the things that I need to continue to work on.”
Back-to-back events running 12 days each might be a fitness wild card as the bloated schedules of ATP-WTA tournaments become commonplace.
Fellow top 10 players, including Novak Djokovic – who is skipping Cincinnati – Alex de Minaur and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, have all come out in favour of the old school one-week tournament format.
In WTA action, Caroline Garcia, the former top 10 player from France who has plans to retire in 2025, played for the first time since Roland Garros in May and beat Briton Sonay Kartal 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
After needing more than two hours to prevail in a roller-coaster match, Garcia admitted that, as she battled in the sweltering heat, she had moments when she wondered why.
“For a couple of minutes that was going on in my head,” she said. “It was so hot, so tough out there, I didn’t play a lot of matches in the last couple of months.
“At the end of the first set I was exhausted. I felt like I let my opportunity go away, and it was a long way to the end of the match.
“But for some reason I got a lot of support from my team and the people here, and I wanted to try to the end,” added the 31-year-old Frenchwoman, who has a wild card for the US Open, which will be her last tournament.
Taylor Townsend handed her fellow American Danielle Collins her fourth first-round loss in Cincinnati in five appearances with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) victory.
In other news, Spaniard Paula Badosa has withdrawn from the US Open as she recovers from a back injury, tournament organisers announced on Aug 8.
Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina’s banned coach, Stefano Vukov, was cleared to return to the WTA Tour.
The Croatian was provisionally suspended in January due to a potential breach of the code of conduct, pending the outcome of an investigation.
The women’s tennis governing body said in a statement that Vukov is eligible to receive credentials at WTA tournaments again.
Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina ended her five-year partnership with Vukov in August 2024, a few days before the US Open, but she rehired him to her team early this year.
“The WTA is fully committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for all athletes and other participants, as set out in our WTA code of conduct and safeguarding code,” the tour said.
“Any sanctions issued following a breach of these safeguarding rules are carefully considered and are subject to appeal before an independent tribunal.
“While case details remain confidential, we can confirm that Vukov is eligible to receive credentials at WTA events.”
The WTA has not said who raised the complaint against Vukov, who has denied any wrongdoing. AFP, REUTERS
