American tennis sensation, Ben Shelton, is on cloud nine currently. The 21-year-old has been putting on impressive performances match after match in recent times. Last month, he made it to the semifinals of the US Open before losing against the eventual champion, Novak Djokovic in the last-four clash. Further, in the ongoing Shanghai Masters tournament, he put on a big show to defeat the in-form Jannik Sinner of Italy. However, a controversial moment occurred after the match.

The American youngster is known for showing off his emotions on the court. After a tough victory over Sinner that went on for two and a half hours, Shelton performed his controversial celebration which didn’t go down well with the fans.

Fans react as Ben Shelton encores his infamous celebration

After winning the match point against Sinner, Shelton erupted in jubilation and proceeded to shake hands with the Italian star. Subsequently, he went on to acknowledge fans who turned out to support him. While doing this, he turned to his controversial telephone celebration which went viral on Twitter after the video was shared on the social media platform.

The move, since the American swing, has attracted and repulsed many, and still continues to polarise netizens till date. One of the fans reacted by saying, “Again this annoying telephone stuff?”

Further, another fan concurred calling it “annoying as hell.”

Shelton’s reaction didn’t go down well with one fan who angrily reacted by saying, “He p**ses me off. In my opinion.”

Another Twitter user wanted to boycott him by saying, “I would not shake his hand.”

Subsequently, one of the fans heavily criticized Shelton by saying, “He didn’t even do sh*t. Jannik went to sleep after 1 set.”

Further, another Twitter user said, “i just know he’s gonna flop next round too.”

Meanwhile, one of the fans reacted with a series of vomit emojis, expressing their inability to stomach the distasteful celebration.

The backlash is not what Shelton would have ideally liked after putting on a gutsy show to overcome the challenge of Sinner. In what was a topsy-turvy match, the American tennis sensation got the better of his Italian opponent in tough three sets 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5).

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Meanwhile, Shelton’s telephone celebration has caused a lot of controversy off-late. Last month at the US Open, World Number 1, Novak Djokovic mimicked Shelton’s celebration after defeating him in the semifinal. As a result, he was heavily criticized for his actions. Even Shelton’s father went on to speak against Djokovic for mocking his son.

Nonetheless, Shelton will look to get over this controversy quickly in order to focus on his upcoming matches. He next faces compatriot Sebastian Korda for a place in the Shanghai Masters semifinals.

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