At 20, he is the great promise of American tennis and the youngest local, since Chang in 1992, to reach the round of the best four at the last Grand Slam of the season. It is only in 2022 that he leaves the university.
The United States has found its new hope in tennis. After a decade without a prominent figure on the circuit, the Americans are rubbing their hands with Ben Shelton (47th ATP), who at 20 has ensured his presence in the semi-finals of the US Open. A milestone he reached only 13 months after his first tournament as a professional.
A meteoric rise, which places him at the table of the big names of this new generation. This historic step in New York, in addition to the quarter-finals reached at the Australian Open, in what was his first event outside his country, makes it impossible that the name of Shelton does not begin to appear alongside the Sinner (6th), Rune (4th), Musetti (18th) and Alcaraz (1st).
This Monday, in fact, at least he will be ranked 19th in the world , being the third-youngest player among the top 20 in the world rankings. If he beat Novak Djokovic (2nd) in the semi-finals, he would reach box 15 in the planetary ranking. Either way, he knows it won’t be easy.
“I know Novak’s toughness, mental strength and physical stamina, so I will have to plan my game very well. At the same time, my style of play is an advantage against someone for the first time, I think I can handle some things that maybe you don’t see in a normal match within the ATP . I’ll try to put different things on the table and hopefully be disruptive on Friday,” he said on pitch Arthur Ashe after beating compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals.
Match that undoubtedly raised the idolatry that Shelton generates in this edition of the US Open. He is the only surviving American in the tournament and also became the youngest homegrown player to reach tournament semi-finals since 1992 Michael Chang will achieve this in 20 years and seven months.
Unthinkable situation if we coldly analyze the history of the native of Atlanta within the circuit. Only in August 2022, and after winning the singles NCAA Division I Championship gave up the last two years of eligibility at the University of Florida and turned pro.
The start of the 2023 season came with the Australian Open, his first tournament outside his country. “I had never been out of the United States, not even on vacation. I held my passport for the first time two days ago.” he wrote on Twitter upon arriving in Melbourne in January 2023.
There, he reached the quarter-finals, where he fell to Tomy Paul. After crossing Oceania, yes, the great performances were not repeated, achieving only three victories in the next eleven games. He only reappeared in the final instances of an event in May, when he reached the semi-finals of the Cagliari Challenger.
On this North American tour, the sensations had not been different either before arriving in the Big Apple. He lost in the first round in Atlanta and Washington, while at the Masters 1000 in Canada and Cincinnati he said goodbye in the top-32 phase.
That’s why what was achieved at the US Open never ceases to amaze. A dream course where he has already been erased from the tournament Pedro Cachín (66th), Dominic Thiem (81st), Aslan Karatsev (77th), Tommy Paul (14th) and Frances Tiafoe (10th) . With the public at his side, he will try to beat Novak Djokovic, already warned. “People are expected to support the local player, there’s nothing wrong with that, I like the energy. In fact, I feed on this energy, I use it as fuel,” explained the Serb.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
