{"id":294965,"date":"2023-10-23T18:54:49","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T18:54:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/?p=294965"},"modified":"2023-10-23T18:54:49","modified_gmt":"2023-10-23T18:54:49","slug":"ben-shelton-makes-atp-breakthrough-and-simple-message-shows-its-just-the-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/tennis\/ben-shelton-makes-atp-breakthrough-and-simple-message-shows-its-just-the-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Shelton makes ATP breakthrough and simple message shows it’s just the start"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One of the tennis\u2019 finest young players,\u00a0Ben Shelton,\u00a0won the first championship of his career in Tokyo on Sunday. The 21-year-old reached the first final of his career and defeated Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-1 to claim victory in the Japanese capital.<\/p>\n

He is the second consecutive American to triumph in Tokyo after Taylor Fritz won the crown in 2022. Before reaching the championship match in Tokyo however, Shelton wrote the words \u201chumble and hungry\u201d on the camera after his semi-final.<\/p>\n

Those two words have summed up the young player\u2019s performances over the course of his first full season on the ATP Tour. Shelton hit the headlines in August 2022 when he reached the round of 16 at the Cincinnati Masters.<\/p>\n

Soon after, he announced his decision to forego his final two years at university and turn professional. The decision paid off as the teenager made a meteoric rise in 2023, starting with his run to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January.<\/p>\n

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Over a month after reaching the US Open semi-finals, the American has now joined the club of players who have captured a title on the ATP Tour. “That meant a lot to me and my team,” Shelton said. “We have been working really hard since the beginning to build my game and win titles on the ATP Tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made some deep runs lately. You see the great champions, they finish weeks off. They win titles, they don’t just get to finals. They are able to maintain their level throughout the week. I am not saying I am anywhere there yet, but to be able to do it for one week, put together five matches in a row in Tokyo is really special.”<\/p>\n

After coming from a set and 2-5 down to defeat Marcos Giron in the semi-finals, Shelton asserted his authority in the final. He consistently took the ball early on return to rush his opponent, who after losing a tight first set, struggled in the second.<\/p>\n

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