Ben Shelton is having a breakthrough 2023 season. Earlier this year, he recorded his best-ever Grand Slam result by reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Further, he has already matched this feat at the ongoing US Open. Yesterday. he had a historic victory against compatriot Tommy Paul to make it to the last eight. At just 20, the American sensation is already taking big strides in the tennis world. Despite his big win, compatriot Taylor Fritz had a special mention of Shelton’s opponent, Paul.

Fritz and Paul are good friends on and off the court. They are also seen sometimes practicing together. Let’s dive into what was Fritz’s empathetic message.

Taylor Fritz acknowledges Tommy Paul’s efforts

Like Shelton, Fritz too is into the quarterfinals of the tournament. During the post-match press conference, Fritz was asked whether he watched Shelton’s match against Paul.

Replying to this question, Fritz said, “Yeah, yeah. I had it on in the locker room when I was just, like, pre-match, just relaxing, gripping my racquets, stuff like that.” 

Subsequently, he shared his candid thoughts on the match, saying, “I thought Ben played really well. I thought he played really, really well. Obviously Tommy was probably the better player in the first set. Didn’t take his chances. That’s how tennis is sometimes.” Overall, it was Shelton who was the deserving winner as he dished out an amazing show in front of the local crowd.

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Where did Paul go wrong?

Tommy Paul started the match brightly as he took a quick 3-0 lead in the first set. However, Shelton came back in the marathon fourth game and there was no looking back for him as he won the next three games to level the opening set. Eventually, Shelton went a step ahead to win the opening set 6-4.

Further, it was a neck-to-neck battle in the second set until 3-3. However, like the opening set, the 20-year-old produced his best in the middle of the second set to break Paul’s serve in the seventh game. That proved to be the difference as Shelton went on to win the set 6-3.

Subsequently, Paul showed glimpses of a comeback as he won five straight games in the third set to win it 6-4. But his comeback was short-lived as Shelton wrapped up the match by winning the fourth set 6-4 to enter the quarterfinals. An all-American clash awaits Shelton as he’ll face Frances Tiafoe in the last-eight. Nonetheless, it is a win-win for the local crowd as they’ll be treated to some intriguing action from local stars.

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