Ben Shelton never played a match on red clay before yesterday but he proved good enough to take down Constant Lestienne in straight sets.
It wasn't a perfect match for Shelton but he got the win which is what matters. He's now 1-0 on the surface all-time and if he somehow never played a match again, he'd have the best winning percentage on the surface in history.
Obviously that won't happen because Shelton plans to keep it going in Portugal feeling the warmth of fans and the people in the country.
I’m really happy to be here in Portugal. I want to thank the whole crowd for their support today. I was hearing the chants. I’m really enjoying my time here, so hopefully I can keep it going.
The match did show that Shelton was a bit unfamiliar with the surface relying heavily on his serve and looking to keep the point short by venturing to the net. The longer rallies won't go his way until he builds more confidence on the surface but that will come with time. He admitted to being nervous before the match.
For sure, I was a bit nervous today. Maybe more so than my last few matches or tournaments just because I wasn’t sure how things were going to go. It was a good nervous, it helped me focus and lock in. I always enjoy playing matches when I have a little bit of nerves.
His only previous experience was on grene clay which is featured in a few events in the US. According to him, red clay feels better to him.
I think the red clay is a little bit softer [than green]. I think the bounces are a little bit better. I honestly like playing on the red clay a bit more. Obviously, my game has evolved since the last time I played on green clay so that could also be one of the factors. I’ve really enjoyed so far this week playing on the red clay. I think it plays a little bit truer and obviously it’s really well kept here in Portugal.
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