Ben Shelton was entertaining fans with his tennis at the 2023 Madrid Open but it wasn't enough for him to win.
In the second round of the tournament, the 32nd-seeded American took on Jan-Lennard Struff in what proved to be a really nice match for the fans at Court 5. The stands were full and fans at the ATP 1000 event in Madrid could enjoy a moment of brilliance from the 20-year-old in the first set.
Already in the second game of the match, Shelton led 1-0, and 30-15 in an attempt to break his opponent early. And that's exactly when he came up with a brilliant behind-the-back shot around his opponent who was approaching the net.
Struff only watched as the ball passed him and landed right into the court while fans were immediately catapulted from their seats and loudly appreciated the moment of genius that Shelton just brought to the Spanish capital. Funnily, at the end of the year the tournament can see its name in both categories for the Shot of the Year, as well as the Miss of the Year, which came from Andy Murray a few days earlier.
Unfortunately for the young American, it wasn't enough for him to win that game, and it also wasn't enough to win the match. After winning the first set 6-4, he lost the second in a tie-break, and started the third set on a back foot, losing the first three games.
The match was then suspended by a rain delay for some time, and after the break, Shelton was able to get back into the match, breaking back and levelling the score at five games each in the decider.
But he didn't handle the last two games well and allowed his opponent to break him, resulting in a three set loss 6-4, 6-7(4), 5-7. Despite the loss, his moment of brilliance from the first set will go around the globe and you can watch it below.
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