WATCH: Ben Shelton Hammers Fastest Serve At US Open Since 2003

Tuesday, 05 September 2023 at 02:20

byNurein Ahmed

Ben Shelton recorded the fastest serve of the 2023 US Open during his fourth-round win over fellow American Tommy Paul.

Shelton who just a couple of days earlier set the record of this year's tournament when he clocked a 147mph first serve, broke his own record on Sunday afternoon as he fired a bullet-like serve down the T that traveled at a frenetic speed of 149mph.

The 20-year-old held off Paul's short-lived fightback and blasted his way into his first quarterfinal on her home Slam, emulating his career-best result at a major which came in the early weeks of the season at the Australian Open - Shelton's first Grand Slam tournament outside the USA.

In his first full season on the ATP Tour, Shelton has now become the youngest American man to reach the last eight stage at the US Open since Andy Roddick back in 2002. Shelton fell mighty close to matching Roddick's 152mph missile that remains the tournament's record - when he achieved it back in 2003 en route to the title.

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Shelton's ferocious serve garnered a round of applause from the crowd and even his hapless opponent Tommy Paul tapped his racket graciously. TV match commentators were also quick to point out that Shelton had broken his own record from a couple of days back.

The Next Gen ATP star then summed up his thoughts during his postmatch interview. While he admits it is 'cool' to hit such numbers, Shelton's sole aim is to hold his serve irrespective of how he does it, citing why numbers meant nothing after imploding following that game.

"Being able to change paces is something that's really important for me. I saw the 149 on the screen. Yeah, that's cool, but I'm also not out there to chase the miles per hour. I'm trying to effectively hold serve."

"I think it hurt me a little bit today hitting 149, then maybe 141, then 149 again. I got broken my next two games. I think that sometimes when I'm chasing a number or I try to hit harder than is within myself, it messes up my rhythm."