Ben Shelton enjoyed perhaps the best day of his blossoming career so far and he set a new benchmark in the process, earning kudos from across the net from rival Tommy Paul
America’s Ben Shelton delivered one of the best performances of his career to upset his countryman Tommy Paul at Flushing Meadows on Sunday, and he set a new benchmark for the tournament in the process.
Powered by his fearsome serve, the 20-year-old took down the 14th seed in four sets at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and Paul’s reaction from across the net summed up Shelton’s incredible performance.
In one game, Shelton smashed aces of 147mph, 149mph and 149mph, setting a new fastest serve for the US Open this year, and coming close to Andy Roddick’s all-time US Open record of 152mph. And with his victory, Shelton became the youngest man since Roddick to make the US Open quarter-finals since 21 years ago.
The lefty was just too powerful for Paul in the big moments and he claimed a memorable 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-4 victory in front of a sold-out crowd. And although Paul will be hugely disappointed his tournament is over, he showed his class during the match by applauding Shelton’s fastest ace when the speed appeared on the screen.