Ben Shelton wasn't happy with the way his Roland Garros preparation went, so he added the Geneva Open to his calendar, it didn't go well.
The draw in Geneva wasn't the easiest for the American because he got Flavio Cobolli in the opening round, and the Italian is more than capable on clay. The conditions in the Swiss city very much favor the way Shelton plays because they reward aggressive play and a very good serve.
Both Cobolli and Shelton play similarly in that regard, but obviously, the American player is capable of doing that on a higher and more consistent level. The first few games of the match were quite competitive in that regard, as neither player was able to find a breakthrough.
Shelton was first able to create break chances and convert them to take a 4-3 lead. He then made it 5-3, and the set progressed after that in a similar rhythm, so Shelton won it 6-4.
Outside of that one game, Cobolli didn't really have many problems with his serve, but he couldn't really pressure his opponent on his either.
Cobolli tried to be assertive, but he misfired more than Shelton, twice as many times. He totaled 7 unforced errors compared to Shelton's 3, and two of those were double faults.
The second set was very similar in that regard because Shelton was once again the better player, albeit only slightly. The crucial part for him was once again not allowing a single chance to Cobolli, who allowed his opponent a chance and, as a result, got broken.
The American served much better in the second set, which probably coincided with him relaxing a bit after winning the opening set. The first break point for Cobolli came at 4-3 in the second set, and he was able to break to make it 4-4.
The second set then went to a tie-break, which Cobolli surprisingly won 7-1. Shelton lost his level in that tiebreak and didn't recover in the second set either, as he was easily beaten, losing 6-4, 6-7(1), 2-6, recording yet another loss on clay.
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