Defending singles champion Shelton pulls double duty in Tokyo
Ben Shelton can’t stop winning at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.
Shelton moved to 7-0 in singles on Friday in Tokyo where he overcame Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals, before advancing to the same stage in doubles alongside Jordan Thompson.
The eighth seed converted three of the five break points he earned against Navone as he continued his bid to be the first player to defend the Tokyo title since Pete Sampras in 1993-94.
“I thought Mariano [Navone] was playing really well today and made things difficult,” Shelton said in his post-match interview after clinching his 35th win of the season. “It was a great match, a different feel compared to my first round, I feel like I’m really coming into form here.
“I thought I did a great job adjusting today, the ball was bouncing much lower and although this is my seventh singles match in Tokyo, it was the first time I played with the roof closed. There’s always going to be new challenges and weather issues. We’re lucky we have a roof here and we’re not sitting around waiting for the weather to clear up.”
The 21-year-old Shelton saved three of four break points against him, according to Infosys ATP Stats, as he closed out the match in 86 minutes. The No. 17 in the PIF ATP Rankings next faces #NextGen ATP talent Arthur Fils.
The Frenchman progressed after Matteo Berrettini retired due to injury when leading the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash 7-6(5). The 20-year-old Fils upset top seed Taylor Fritz earlier in the week to extend his lead at the top of the PIF ATP Live Race to Jeddah.
Shelton later teamed with US Open doubles champion and fellow Top 30 singles star Thompson, to seal a second success Friday. The pair defeated Japanese wild card duo Yoshihito Nishioka and Kaito Uesugi 7-6(3), 6-2 to make the quarter-finals.
A duo bringing all the fun ⚡️
Shelton 🤝 Thompson@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajapanopen pic.twitter.com/oBpZVoyg6T
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 27, 2024
Shelton and Thompson converted four of their six break points to set up a quarter-final clash with British pair Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool.
#NextGen ATP talent Alex Michelsen and Alejandro Tabilo also progressed in the doubles draw, battling past Luciano Darderi and Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-7. They will next face Rinky Hijikata and Alexei Popyrin or Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski.
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