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Ben Shelton is Back in his Hard Court Era!

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australian open ben shelton hard court us open
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Discussion starter · #61 · (Edited)
Ben is through to R4 in Cincy where he will face Leheckyeah again. They previously met at Studguard 250 on grass. H2h 1-0 Shelton. Due to consecutive days with rain delays, Ben's Cincy matches are a day behind. All other R4 matches are playing today except Shelton & Leheckyeah.

RBA was very strong, but came out much flatter after the hours-long rain delay. Shelton, by contrast, focused on holding serve in the 1st set, clinched it early in the breaker, but then also came out after the break much sharper on return. The kinesio tape on his thigh was also gone. A good sign. Shelton now leads their h2h 3-0.

From 15 players down to 1, Ben Shelton, is the last Top 100 USA male left in the Cincy '25 draw. Despite having to defend QF points, by reaching R4, Shelton will remain WN6 heading into USO.

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Discussion starter · #65 ·
Phillo said:
He's nursing a thigh or hamstring strain w/ just weeks prior to USO
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The kinesio tape on his thigh was gone in the 2nd set & he moved better. Said it took him a moment to get used to playing in the daytime heat.
 
Discussion starter · #66 · (Edited)
For the 2nd consecutive year, Ben is through to the Cincy QFs where he will once again face off against Zverev. 3-0 in favor of the Russo-Deutscher. The two players have met on every surface deep into the biggest tournaments, save the Slams (click: h2h photo). A year later, the biggest difference? Shelton is now well inside the Top 10, back playing on his favorite surface (compared to their grass & clay matches), and his backhand is even better than last season (2nd fastest on tour for 2025). Still, Zverev has enjoyed a ridiculous h2h against lefties, a feast courtesy of his older brother.

Ranked No. 15 in his first full season & now No. 6 in his third, in some ways, Shelton's rapid rise has been partially framed by consistently facing the three top-ranked players early in his career at the biggest events. Yes, the h2hs are currently lopsided in Shelton's opponent's favor, but that regular, environmental, proximal exposure has necessitated Ben's growth at a more consistent clip. Ben already knows he'll soon be facing them again, so consistent improvement becomes imperative. As was stated by media pundits, "it's taking the very best to beat Ben at the biggest events." They are helping to improve their competition in Shelton.

As for the R4 match against Leheckyeah, 3 breaks of serve in 2 sets was sufficient for Shelton to claim the match. Both guys lost focus and traded breaks early in the 2nd set, but that was the only blip. Ben's backhand was very clean. The serve was impressive, per usual. The forehand had the most errors, but the winners were devastating. As was stated upthread, the kinesio tape was gone and Shelton moved well and without issue.
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#67 ·
I watched the first 3 games of Shelton-Lehecka and seemed to me Shelton was going to prevail. Question of margin. Then I watched Rifftrax Live: Timecop
 
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#68 ·
Match against Zverev could be a banger. In my oppinion it will hint who of the 2 might have an outside shot at the next 2 HC slams. I would like it to be Zverev, but have to agree that Ben has made huge steps and can string together many matches with dominant performances now. May the best win it. Btw.: I would like that Zverev does not meet Ben in the predicted QF at USO... mabye like him the least to meet together with Djoker. Over Draper and De Minaur (this man would be a gift...).
 
Discussion starter · #69 · (Edited)
Post-Cincy Masters, Ben Shelton's ATP Leaderboard 52-week update.
Serve: 5th (No. 2 USA, same)
Return: 58th (+8 spots)
Pressure: 6th (No. 1 USA, +2 spots)
ATP: Big-Point Ben
 
Discussion starter · #70 · (Edited)
Schitts Creek Comedy GIF by CBC
Were Back GIF by Big Brother

Shelton & Townsend have returned to the newly reformatted, all star, USO MX after reaching MX SF in 2023. Ben has played college doubles & won UTS which is a faster paced format. Taylor is No. 1 in doubles & has two Majors (AO & Wimby). Solid pairing. Fun match.
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Discussion starter · #72 · (Edited)
Post-USO, Ben Shelton's ATP Leaderboard 52-week update.
Serve: 8th (No. 3 USA, -3 spots)
Return: 55th (+3 spots)
Pressure: 5th (No. 1 USA, +1 spot)
 
Discussion starter · #73 · (Edited)
#79 · (Edited)
Whether Big Ben is healthy or not, before i scratch him off my list of future hopefuls, i just need to know from our resident tennis sage; Is he just more of an Entertainer ala a Fognini (w/ abundant but wasted talent) or a true Sportsman still searching for maturity ala Nole in his early years?

I'm seeing more signs of the former than the latter for now.

Your thoughts, JG?
 
#80 ·
Phillo said:
Whether Big Ben is healthy or not, before i scratch him off my list of future hopefuls, i just need to know from our resident tennis sage; Is he just more of an Entertainer ala a Fognini (w/ abundant but wasted talent) or a true Sportsman still searching for maturity ala Nole in his early years?

Your thoughts, JG?
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Even during Djokovic's pre-prime years I don't recall one of his 4 basic shots (serve, return of serve, forehand and backhand) being anywhere near weak as Shelphone's return of serve.
I hope it answers your question.
 
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