Felix Auger-Aliassime was much better than Ben Shelton at the 2024 Roland Garros, crushing him easily in three sets.
The outcome of this match isn't that surprising, but it's shocking how easily the Canadian was able to win it. He crushed Shelton, who seemingly struggled with an arm issue, but carried on and kept playing.
The American simply had no answers for Auger-Aliassime at any point in the match, which was played on two different days. They started on Saturday, and the Canadian player was quite a bit better, leading 5-4 when the match was suspended due to the rain.
Fans anticipated Shelton to come back strongly on Saturday, but that didn't happen. If anything, he might have looked worse overall, which was surprising.
His win at the Houston Open weeks ago signaled that his tennis could work on clay, but it didn't happen in Paris. The opening set was a 6-4 win for Auger-Aliassime as Shelton struggled to really find his footing.
He missed a bit too much and failed to put much pressure on his opponent's serve. The American's second set was even worse. He made 14 unforced errors in 8 games of play. He just couldn't find the court at all, and Auger-Aliassime smartly kept the ball in play and waited for Shelton to miss.
The final set didn't offer too much either, as Shelton just couldn't offer any resistance, and despite seemingly struggling with an arm injury, he carried on and finished the match.
Losing his serve early didn't help either, and he never recovered. Auger-Aliassime was able to cruise to the finish line, winning the match 6-4, 6-2, 6-1, to set up a clash with Carlos Alcaraz.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Ben Shelton Match Stats:
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 | Ben Shelton |
| 2 | Aces | 3 |
| 4 | Double Faults | 6 |
| 59% | First Serve % | 67% |
| 86% (32/37) | Points Won After First Serve % | 62% (38/61) |
| 65% (17/26) | Points Won After Second Serve % | 37% (11/30) |
| 55% (6/11) | Break Point Conversion | 0% (0/0) |
| 28 | Winners | 17 |
| 18 | Unforced Errors | 36 |
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