Ben Shelton overcame Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday afternoon to secure his spot in Friday’s semifinal matchup against Taro Daniel.
After winning his first-ever title at the tour level in Tokyo towards the end of the previous season, Shelton is back in an ATP Tour semifinal.
Shelton endured a tough test from Spain’s Carballes Baena by displaying resilience in addition to his usual explosive play. In serving the match on Auckland’s centre court, he saved seven of the eight break points he faced and managed to escape 15/30. Two huge serves sealed the victory after one hour and forty minutes. Shelton had seven aces in the end.
Shelton said in his post-match interview: “I had a lot of fun out here today. I’m pretty sure everyone else here had a good time too. He’s one of the fastest players I’ve played, running down balls and passing shots. He served well and made it difficult on me today, but I felt like I brought out my best tennis in the big moments and I’m happy to be in a semi-final here.”
He added: “It didn’t feel as routine with one break of serve in each set as the scoreline was. I felt like there was a lot more tension in this match. There were some moments when I could have let it slip away from me. Pretty clutch, down breakpoints, and when I was up with my breakpoints, I’m delighted to get through that one.”
Shelton beats Carballes Baena 6-4 6-3 in Auckland
Ben is into his 1st SF of 2024.
Unlimited potential with some truly frightening weapons
Definitely a dark horse for the Australian Open.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 11, 2024
Shelton in Auckland, ranking, and results in 2024
LWWLWWWLWL Now the world no.16, Shelton has managed to achieve a 2-1 win-loss record in 2024. The American is playing in Auckland where he bested the world no.65 Fabian Marozsan 6-3 6-4 and the world no.67 Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4 6-3.
Ben Shelton will fight against the world no.74 Taro Daniel in the semifinal on Friday at 1:00 pm on CENTRE COURT. Their actual record is 2-0 for Shelton.
Ben Shelton |
| Embed from Getty Images |
