Defending Champion Shelton Eliminated In Japan Open Quarterfinals

Sunday, 29 September 2024 at 17:09

byZachary Wimer

Defending champion Ben Shelton was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Japan Open in Tokyo in an epic three-setter against Arthur Fils.

Shelton is one of the most electric players on the ATP Tour, but Fils is not too far behind. The French player didn’t have the type of success Shelton has had so far in his career, but he’s certainly a capable player.

He has numerous notable wins, and this performance is certainly one of those notable ones. Shelton won his maiden ATP trophy last year in Tokyo, so it is a special place for him.

He returned this year to try and defend his trophy, but his quarter-final matchup was never going to be easy, and it truly wasn’t because Fils was playing some inspired tennis.

The American is an interesting player, but he can sometimes be quite hit-and-miss. Sometimes, he plays extremely well, but sometimes, he looks rough because he’s still a raw player.

There is much improving for Shelton to do, but there is a diamond in there for sure. This match was more on the rough side for Shelton initially, but over time, he found the balance. On return, the American barely did anything right in the first set, winning only a handful of points.

That was because Fils served really well, hitting five aces. Shelton served well, too; however, in live play, he was quite erratic. The American had 22 unforced errors in that opening set and only seven winners, two of which were aces.

That’s a bad mark, and it’s why Fils had 8 break chances in total. Shelton did save seven of those due to timely serves, but overall, Fils was much better and won the first set 7-5.

The first game of the second set ended up being hugely crucial because it was a major battle that went past the 10-minute mark. After many break points and game points, Fils won it in the end, and it looked like it was the game he needed to win the match.

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Up until that point, Shelton barely created any pressure on the Frenchman's serve. With a serve and break in hand, it didn’t seem like Fils would run into too many problems.

But Shelton showed his incredible potential, and he played a superb game to break back. It came out of nowhere, but it was spectacular. After Shelton broke back, the match continued at a decent tempo without either player breaking through.

Eventually, Shelton ran into some problems again. At 5-5 in the second set, Fils created some break chances and eventually broke for the 6-5 lead. Against all odds, Shelton saved two match points and forced a tie-break.

He outplayed Fils in the tie-break to win the second set and force a decider. The defending champion was not backing down. Eventually, Fils still got the upper hand because he broke midway through the second set.

Insanely, Shelton once again broke back to make it 4-3. The deciding set ended in yet another tie-break, but this time around, it was Fils who jumped out to an early 3-1 lead. From there, he was able to win the match 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) to reach the 2024 Japan Open semi-finals and eliminate the defending champion.