TOKYO (AFP) – Rising American star Ben Shelton said he had to “shake things up” to reach his first ATP Tour final at the Japan Open yesterday after another gruelling three-set match.
The 21-year-old beat American qualifier Marcos Giron 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 in Tokyo and will face Russia’s Aslan Karatsev today.
Shelton lost the first set and found himself two breaks down in the second against world number 79 Giron, who eliminated second seed Casper Ruud earlier this week.
Shelton said it was “definitely a difficult place to be in” and credited a change in strategy for turning the match in his favour.
“I knew that if I continued to keep playing the way I was, with the rhythm that he’d found, I was going to lose the match,” he said.
“I tried to shake things up and try something that was going to surprise him.
“I was able to get him out of his rhythm for the three or four games that I needed to get myself back into the match.”
Shelton rode the momentum after he had survived his second-set scare, closing out the match with an ace before letting out a roar and thumping his chest.
He said the encounter was “one of the tougher matches that I’ve played in my career”.
