After another exhausting three-set match, rising American star Ben Shelton said he had to turn things around to make it to his first ATP Tour final at the Japan Open on Saturday. In Tokyo, the 21-year-old defeated American qualifier Marcos Giron 6-7 (2/7) 7-6 (7/5) 6-4. He will play Aslan Karatsev of Russia in the final on Sunday.
Shelton acknowledged that it was undoubtedly a challenging situation and gave credit to a shift in strategy for winning the game.
He said after the post-match interview: “I knew that if I continued to keep playing the way I was, with the rhythm that he’d found, I was going to lose the match. I tried to shake things up and try something that was going to surprise him. I was able to get him out of his rhythm for the three or four games that I needed to get myself back into the match.”
Shelton added: “I definitely had to adjust during the match today and problem-solve and come up with solutions when my back was against the wall. I was able to figure it out and get it done in three sets, but definitely not an easy task today.”
Ben Shelton on reaching 1st ever ATP Final in Tokyo:
It’s a huge achievement for me and my team. Especially the way the match came out today. Definitely one of the toughest matches I’ve played in my life. Marcos was waxing me from the baseline in almost every rally. I had to… pic.twitter.com/bUonfiFbgS
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 21, 2023
Shelton d. Giron 6-7 7-6 6-4
Ben came back from 2-5 in set 2 & was 2 points away from losing.
But he shifted the reality of the match.
If you needed more proof that Ben has something special, here it is.
✅1st ATP Final
✅Won 12 of last 14 matchesBig Ben is different.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 21, 2023
Shelton in Tokyo, ranking, and results in 2023
Currently ranked no.19 (career-high), Shelton owns a 27-24 match record in 2023. The American is participating in Tokyo where he defeated the world no.97 Taro Daniel 3-6 6-4 7-62, the world no.60 Jordan Thompson 6-75 6-4 6-3, the world no.12 Tommy Paul 7-64 6-3 and the world no.79 Marcos Giron 6-72 7-65 6-4.
Ben Shelton will compete against the world no.50 Aslan Karatsev in the final. Their actual record is 1-0 for Shelton.
He is also scheduled to play in Paris (Rolex Paris Masters) after Vienna. The main draw will start on the 23rd of October.
Marcos Giron in 2023
Now ranked no.79, Giron played his last match on the 21st of October when he was defeated by world no.19 Ben Shelton 6-7(2) 7-6(5) 6-4 in the semifinal in Tokyo (draw).
During this season Marcos owns an overall 30-27 record. Marcos Giron’s latest run in Tokyo was the best achievement of his season.
He is also scheduled to play in Paris (Rolex Paris Masters) after Vienna. The main draw will start on the 23rd of October.
Ben Shelton and Marcos Giron clashed against each other just twice. Their record is 1-1. Before, the last time they played each other, Ben Shelton won 6-7(2) 7-6(5) 6-4 in the semifinal in Tokyo (Rakuten Japan Open) on the 21st of October 2023.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
Ben Shelton and Marcos Giron |
| Embed from Getty Images |
