Ben Shelton bested fellow American Reilly Opelka in two tie-break sets to advance to the next round at the 2024 Cincinnati Open.
The courts at the Cincinnati Open are fast, hard courts, on which serves to do a lot of damage, which both of these players that met in the first round of this ATP Masters 1000 possess.
On top of that, this year, there are lighter tennis balls in use in Cincinnati, which fly super quickly through the air, especially after a powerful serve. Because of these reasons, this first-round meeting was likely never going to be a match with too many breaks, and there wasn't a single one.
What's interesting is that there were plenty of break points. Shelton faced 5 break points, while Opelka faced 2, and none of those were converted. The younger American finished with 6 aces, but Opelka had 19.
Both of the players dominated on the first serve, and that was the reason why they were able to hold their serves despite facing break points. Shelton won 91% of points behind his first serve, while Opelka won 88%.
In numbers, that means that Shelton dropped only five points behind his first serve, while Opelka lost six in the whole match. Both had chances to break, but neither was able to get it done, even though they were playing well from the baseline.
Opelka was the more aggressive player, finishing with 31 winners compared to only 21 from Shelton, but without the aces, a clear picture appears. Shelton had 15 live-action winners, while Opelka had only 12.
As a result, Shelton was able to outplay his older compatriot when it mattered the most. In the first tie-break, the younger American took a mini break at 3-3, winning four straight points to win the tie-break 7-3.
The second tie-break ended with the same score, 7-3, even though this time, Shelton took a mini break at 3-2. He jumped out to a 5-2 lead, after which he also won it 7-3.
It was just a straightforward match without too much excitement for the crowd, which saw great serving. The rallies were mostly short and finished within one or two shots after the serve, if not with the serve.
Shelton proved better, winning the match 7-6(3), 7-6(3), which is fitting, as he's the better player right now. Opelka has been back for a relatively short period of time, and he needs more time to challenge players like Shelton.
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