Tag: Ben Shelton

Highlights from Ben Shelton’s 2024 Wimbledon loss to No. 1 Jannik Sinner

The Gators star made the deepest run of his young career at Wimbledon this summer. Here are the highlights.

Former Florida tennis standout [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag] came into the 2024 edition of Wimbledon a 14th seed and managed to last three rounds before making his exit.

On Sunday, top-ranked Jannik Sinner defeated his fellow 22-year-old to move on to the quarterfinals, while the UF alumnus heads home with his head held high. While Shelton was eliminated in straight sets, he fought hard — especially in the final set – but simply did no have enough to upend the best player in the world right now.

Shelton came in having played every day of the tournament due to rain while also playing the maximum 15 sets through three matches, so it is difficult to rule out fatigue as a contributing factor.

Below is a look at highlights from Ben Shelton’s fourth-round loss to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon 2024.

Ben Shelton’s Wimbledon run ends in straight sets to No. 1 Jannik Skinner

Coming in as a 14th seed to this year’s Wimbledon event, Ben Shelton fell in the fourth round to the best player in the world.

Former Florida tennis star [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag]’s success at Wimbledon this summer finally came to an end at the hands of the top-ranked player in the world, Jannik Sinner, on Sunday in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(9).

Sinner was forced to work in the first two sets but Shelton showed tenacity in the third — and ultimately, final — set. The Gator alumnus forced several set points but his opponent kept his cool, earning a tie-breaking win under extreme duress to clinch the victory.

The victor neutralized his opponent’s serve for the most part, allowing wins on just 70% of Shelton’s first-serve points and four lost service games over the course of the two-hour and eight-minute match.

Shelton came in having played every day of the tournament due to rain while also playing the maximum 15 sets through three matches. Sinner dominated rallies of zero to four shots by an 81-62 margin and pushed his opponent well behind the baseline during many rallies.

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Highlights from Ben Shelton’s third-round 2024 Wimbledon win

Take a look at Ben Shelton’s Sunday win at Wimbledon as he continues his ascent up the world tennis ranks.

Former Florida tennis standout [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag] continued his run through the 2024 Wimbledon course, defeating left-handed Canadian Denis Shapovalov on Sunday to earn a matchup with the top-ranked player in the world next.

Once again, Shelton needed over three hours to complete yet another five-set comeback win, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, to keep his hopes alive in the grand slam event. Nonetheless, the 21-year-old American lives to play another day with his toughest challenge yet to come.

“We’re back, big dog,” Shelton said after the game, acknowledging the 30th anniversary of his father’s fourth-round run at the tournament. Bryan Shelton, who coached Ben at the University of Florida, is often shown on the broadcasts advising his son from the stands.

Take a look below at highlights from Ben Shelton’s third-round win over Denis Shapovalov on Sunday at Wimbledon.

 

 

Ben Shelton set to face World No. 1 Sinner in fourth round of Wimbledon

Ben Shelton has made magic happen on the grass at Wimbledon this year, and now he faces his toughest test — world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Ben Shelton’s run at Wimbledon continued on Saturday as he advanced to the fourth round of the main draw with a win over left-handed Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

It took two days to complete the match. Rain forced tournament officials to suspend play on Friday after just five games. Shelton needed just over three hours to complete yet another five-set comeback win, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

“We’re back, big dog,” Shelton said after the game, acknowledging the 30th anniversary of his father’s fourth-round run at the tournament. Bryan Shelton, who coached Ben at the University of Florida, is often shown on the broadcasts advising his son from the stands.

Shelton will face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner next. The two have met three times, Sinner winning the two more recent contests. Shelton shrugged off the name when asked about his opponent, drawing a few chuckles from the crowd.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for me, a great challenge and test,” he said. “The biggest challenge in tennis is playing the top-ranked player in the world. But I’m never somebody to be scared of going into a match or feel unprepared. I’m always confident in my abilities no matter who is on the other side of the net.”

Doubles play suspended at Wimbledon

Shelton also began his run in the doubles bracket at Wimbledon with fellow American Mackenzie McDonald on Saturday.

The duo hasn’t played together competitively since last summer, but they nearly pulled off a two-set victory in the first round. However, the Italian pairing of Flavio Cobolli and Lorenzo Sonego won a second-set tiebreak, 6-3, to force a third set.

That deciding set will be played on Sunday after rain left the ground oversaturated and unplayable.

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Highlights from Ben Shelton’s second-round 2024 Wimbledon win

Here’s a look at highlights from Ben Shelton’s Thursday win over Lloyd Harris at Wimbledon.

Ben Shelton earned a hard-fought victory in the first round of Wimbledon 2024 with a five-set win over 23-year-old Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci on Monday, moving him on to the next round of play.

The former Gator defeated South African qualifier Lloyd Harris in five sets on Thursday, with a scoreline of 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (7/5), 6-3, 7-6 (10/7). The 21-year-old needed three hours and 14 minutes to prevail over his opponent, showing great feel around the net under pressure in the match tie-break to earn the win.

Shelton advanced to the third round at The Championships for the first time with the victory. Below is a look at highlights from the match.

Highlights from Ben Shelton’s opening-round 2024 Wimbledon win

Take a look at highlights from Ben Shelton’s hard-earned win at Wimbledon last Monday over Mattia Bellucci.

Former Florida tennis standout and NCAA champion [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag] has had a meteoric rise through the professional ranks since leaving Gainesville, coming into the 2024 edition of Wimbledon as a No. 14 seed in the prestigious event.

The 21-year-old opened up the grand slam event with a five-set win over 148th-ranked Italian Mattia Bellucci, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. It was a tough match for Shelton, but he managed to prevail in the end.

“He was playing so well,” said Shelton. “Every ball that I hit big, he was hitting back bigger.”

However, the young star was able to make some changes to accommodate his opponent’s style of play.

“I’m happy with the adjustments I made,” said Shelton. “I tried to play instead of just hit the ball.”

Take a look at highlights from Monday’s match at Wimbledon below.

Highlights from Ben Shelton’s opening-round 2024 Wimbledon win

Here’s a look at highlights from Ben Shelton’s Thursday win over Lloyd Harris at Wimbledon.

Former Florida tennis standout and NCAA champion [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag] has had a meteoric rise through the professional ranks since leaving Gainesville, coming into the 2024 edition of Wimbledon as a No. 14 seed in the prestigious event.

The former Gator defeated South African Lloyd Harris in five sets on Thursday, with a scoreline of 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (7/5), 6-3, 7-6 (10/7). The 21-year-old needed three hours and 14 minutes to prevail over his opponent, showing great feel around the net under pressure in the match tie-break to earn the win.

Shelton advanced to the third round at The Championships for the first time with the victory. Below is a look at highlights from the match.

 

 

Former Gator Ben Shelton’s results through two rounds at Wimbledon

Former Gator and world No. 14 Ben Shelton is headed to the third round at Wimbledon, but it hasn’t been easy by any means.

Ben Shelton has been climbing up the world rankings since he left the University of Florida two years ago to begin his pro career, and he entered the 2024 Wimbledon Championships as the No. 14 seed.

The former Gator advanced to the third round of play after defeating South African Lloyd Harris in five sets on Thursday, with a scoreline of 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (7/5), 6-3, 7-6 (10/7). Shelton defeated 23-year-old Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci in the first round, also needing a final set tiebreaker.

Shelton egged on the Americans in the crowd during the final set tiebreak, earning chants of “USA! USA! USA!” on the fourth of July. Those same fans and Shelton) erupted when Harris sent a backhand wide to close things out.

Shelton didn’t have his best stuff early on. He wasn’t using his power to serve as much as he needed to and relied on a shaky drop shot too frequently. Sticking to his game paid off in the end, as Shelton improved in the final sets.

Ben Shelton’s next Wimbledon opponent

Shelton’s third-round matchup is Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who is currently ranked 120th with a protected ranking of 27th.

Shapovalov made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, but he lost while playing with a hurt knee. He withdrew from his next tournament and spent the rest of the year recovering from the injury. Despite two tournament wins this year, Shapovalov has put together a disappointing 12-15 record in 2024.

Shelton is chasing another deep run on the Grand Slam stage after making the semifinals of the 2023 US Open.

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PHOTOS: Highlights from Ben Shelton’s first ATP Tour win in Japan

It’s always great to be a Florida Gator, even in the land of the rising sun.

Former Florida Gators tennis standout [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag] earned the first ATP Tour title of his nascent professional career on Sunday morning Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where he defeated Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-1.

The former Gator used an enormous comeback in his semi-final match against Marcos Giron to reach the finals, which also helped propel him to the trophy stand in Tokyo. The momentum from the semis must have carried over, as Shelton dispatched Karatsev in just 84 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.”

Shelton is the sixth first-time tour-level winner of the season and the first player since Lorenzo Musetti in Hamburg in 2022 to win his debut ATP Tour title at a 500 event. Additionally, the young American is the youngest Tokyo champion since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001, who was 20 years old when he won his first title.

He joins father Bryan Shelton as an ATP Tour titlist, becoming the fourth father-son duo to win tour-level singles titles in the Open Era (since 1968).

PHOTOS: Highlights from Ben Shelton’s U.S. Open semifinal loss

Novak Djokovic ultimately proved too much for the young former Gator, but time is on Ben Shelton’s side.

Former Florida tennis standout [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag]’s magical run at the 2023 U.S. Open held in Flushing, New York, came to an end on Friday with a semifinal loss to one of the best to ever play the game: Novak Djokovic.

The 20-year-old Gator fell to his opponent in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4), after becoming the youngest American man in the U.S. Open semifinals since Michael Chang in 1992 to reach the semis. However, Shelton was simply overwhelmed by a superior opponent and despite pushing hard in the final set, he took the defeat.

Djokovic vs. Shelton was a mismatch coming into Friday’s affair as the former was participating in his record 47th Slam semifinal and his 100th US Open match, while the latter was ranked 47th and in only his seventh career match at the Open.

Below are highlights from Ben Shelton’s disappointing loss in the U.S. Open semifinals against Novak Djokovic.