Ben Shelton’s meteoric rise continued with the first ATP title of his young career, as the 21-year-old defeated Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-1 in the final of the Japan Open on Sunday evening.
Shelton struck only three aces, but he served at 80 percent and also won 80 percent of his first-serve points. The American saved the only break point he faced on the way to triumphing after one hour and 22 minutes.
“That meant a lot to me and my team,” Shelton said. “We have been working really hard since the beginning to build my game and win titles on the ATP Tour. I made some deep runs lately. You see the great champions, they finish weeks off. They win titles; they don’t just get to finals. They are able to maintain their level throughout the week. I am not saying I am anywhere there yet, but to be able to do it for one week–put together five matches in a row in Tokyo–is really special.”
It was a somewhat improbable title for Shelton–and not because he was unseeded in Tokyo. In the semifinals, the University of Florida product trailed fellow former NCAA star Marcos Giron (UCLA) by a set and a double-break down at 5-2 in the second during their semifinal match. But Shelton broke back twice in a row and ended up beating Giron 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-4.
With 500 more ranking points in the bag, Shelton climbs to No. 15 in the ATP rankings. He still has Vienna, the Paris Masters, and the NextGen ATP Finals on his remaining schedule in 2023.
“I am really looking forward to this tail-end stretch of the year,” the recent U.S. Open semifinalist said. “I think it is a great opportunity for me. Earlier in the season I was losing early in weeks, so my match count is not that high–so I am feeling fresh. I am looking forward to finishing the season strong.”
nice one, Ben