(Photo credit score: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
Ben Shelton reached his first profession ATP Tour closing on Saturday with a three-set semifinal win over fellow American Marcos Giron on the Japan Open in Tokyo.
Shelton, 21, rebounded from a first-set loss to win 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a two hours, 50 minutes. He hit 13 aces and broke Giron’s serve 4 occasions in eight probabilities. Shelton has made a meteoric rise from World No. 573 to No. 19 this season after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the semifinals of the U.S. Open.
In Sunday’s closing, he’ll face Russian Aslan Karatsev, who ousted wild card and home-country favourite Shintaro Mochizuki 6-4, 6-4 in 94 minutes. Karatsev hasn’t misplaced a set this week.
Karatsev, No. 50 on this planet, is a three-time tour champion. Shelton beat him on the U.S. Open in September of their solely head-to-head conflict.
–Field Level Media