Unseeded Ben Shelton has become the youngest American man in 20 years to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open following a roller-coaster victory on Sunday.
Shelton, who is playing in only his fifth Grand Slam main draw, powered his way to a 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, win over 14th Tommy Paul who lacked his usual firepower. It is the second time this year the 20-year-old has reached the quarter-finals of a major event after the Australian Open in January where coincidentally he was knocked out of the tournament by Paul. In his latest match, the world No.47 fired 36 winners and produced 16 aces.
“I learned how to be mentally tough,” Shelton replied when asked how his previous match against Paul helped him in New York. “When I was playing in Australia after a long week I was looking at my box and saying ‘My legs are dead, I’m tired and I can’t go anymore.’ I realised how important it was to believe in myself. Go the full distance emotionally and physically. Now I have that belief here. “
After a slow start to the match where he found himself 0-3 down, Shelton soon found his footing on the Arthur Ashe Stadium. He broke his compatriot twice in the opening set to turn his fortunes around before repeating the same in the second which he ended by winning four games in a row.
Continuing to dictate play with the use of some thunderous hitting in the third set, he surged to a 3-1 lead at the expense of a double fault from Paul. Then in the following game, Shelton blasted two 149 mph aces which is the fastest serves of this year’s tournament so far. It appeared that the rising star would cruise to a straight sets triumph but there was another twist.
A tentative service game enabled Paul to retrieve the break as he forced the match into a fourth set. Suddenly the clash was a match of fine margins but still, Shelton managed to cross the finish line with the help of back-to-back forehand errors from his opponent who was serving to stay in the tournament.
“Being at home in front of an American crowd, I felt the love all week,” said Shelton.
“We had a great battle. I know the crowd was pretty split but thank you guys for coming out. It was an unbelievable atmosphere. it’s hard to believe that I am playing on Arthur Ashe right now with the stands full. God does wonders.”
Shelton has only dropped one other set in the tournament so far which was against Pedro Cachin in his opening match. He then beat Dominic Thiem, who retired from their clash due to illness, before knocking out Asian Karatsev.
As a result of his latest win, he has become the ninth American man to reach the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows since 2003 and the youngest to do so since Andy Roddick in 2002.
“I’m not just a tennis player. I don’t just put on a show on the court or win a lot of matches. I treat people the right way and make an impact on a lot of young kids,” Shelton explained.
“I hope there are a lot of young people in the crowd who develop a passion for tennis while watching me play.”
Awaiting Shelton in the quarter-finals will be either Frances Tiafoe or Australian underdog Rinky Hijikata.
