Ben Shelton is hoping being battle-tested will be a benefit to him as he reached the third round of the US Open.
It was a tough day at the office for Ben Shelton but the former semi-finalist is into the third round.
The American defeated Hubert Hurkacz 6-3 5-7 7-6 7-5 to progress to the third round in what was a brutal draw.
There was a big celebration that followed the contest as Shelton knew he was in a real battle.
After the match Shelton explained why it was a big celebration for him after the match, “Yeah, for me, I know I was never, like, down in terms of set score, but the momentum definitely shifted,” Shelton explained in his press conference.
“I mean, he hit another gear when I was up a set and a break, and the match was fully in my control to, you know, up in the air. So I think, you know, the second half of the match, the level that he was playing, to be able to get out of that one in four sets, close it out the way I did, I thought that I found so many things in terms of game style that I want to be playing towards the end of that match. That was a big one for me.
“I think that’s why, you know, the emotions came out at the end. I was, you know, super excited to get through that one and relieved obviously, because I thought he was serving lights out, moving well, not making errors from the baseline, and it was a tall task today.”
It’s a big tournament for Shelton with many people expecting lots from him this tournament.
There is no Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic’s early exit has sparked opportunity for this tournament.
Shelton admits having a tough match early on is a good thing and is well aware of the expectations that are placed on him, “I think being battle-tested is great. I don’t think you want to be playing five-setters all the time,” Shelton explained.
“Maybe I could have won this match more efficiently today, but I thought that, you know, a lot of it was just credit to him and the level that he started to bring. I think that had I not got pushed the way he pushed me today, there are so many things that I’ve wanted to clean up over the last couple of days that naturally came out and continued to improve throughout the match. Playing a match like that definitely, you know, benefits me moving forward.
”You know, I can’t tell you the last time I’ve thought about the American drought, other than, you know, being in these rooms. And I think that at the same time, you know, we have the defending champion this tournament. I think the player field has a lot of hot players right now. I’m kind of just running my own race and focusing on the next round, thinking about the ways that I can improve and get better and continue to improve my game.
“I think that, you know, this is a tournament that I always want to do well in, that I would love to be, you know, contending for and in the second week of.”
Shelton can only dream of replicating some of the Americans in the past who have achieved some big things in the sport.
One of those Americans is Arthur Ashe with the main stadium at the US Open being named Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Shelton admits he is inspired by Arthur Ashe and his legacy means a lot to him, “It means a lot. I think that without Arthur Ashe, my dad probably would have never been playing tennis or had the opportunities that he had to go so far in this sport,” the American reflected.
“This sport has given my family a lot. I think that it’s really cool to be able to recognize that and be a part of history every time, playing in a stadium with his name on it. I think that’s a pretty great honor to have the biggest stadium in tennis named after you and very, very well-deserved. There are so many other trailblazers, as well. Not just Americans but people of color from a lot of different countries who kind of paved the way for us, to have opportunities that we have nowadays, including my dad.
“Yeah, just super grateful. For every opportunity that I get to play in this stadium is an honor for me, and I enjoy it more than anything in the sport.”
Shelton will continue his tennis journey on Friday when he takes on Denis Shapovalov in a blockbuster third round match.
