Former Florida tennis standout Ben Shelton put up a stellar performance on Sunday against Tommy Paul on Day 7 of the 2023 U.S. Open held in Flushing, New York. Armed with his vicious power serve, the 20-year-old earned a trip to the quarterfinals thanks to a five-set victory over Paul (6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4).
The two had tangled before at the Australian Open at the start of the year, with Shelton taking the four-set defeat despite being up 4-1 in the third. The Gator alumnus credits the increased mental tenacity developed from that failure as the source of his success.
“I learned to be mentally tough,” Shelton told Eurosport. “When I was playing in Australia after a long week I was looking at my box saying ‘My legs are dead, I am tired, I can’t go anymore’. I realized how important it is to believe in myself. That I can go the full way emotionally and physically and now I have that belief here.”
Shelton’s serve topped out at 149 mph in the third set — good enough for an ace — and has been clocked in the upper 140s during his time in Flushing. He will face Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.
In the meantime, take a look below at highlights from Shelton’s big U.S. Open win on Sunday against Tommy Paul on Day 7 of hardcourt action.