Ben Shelton 'Not Worried' After Starting New Season With Loss As Top Seed
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Ben Shelton lost his first match of the 2025 season, but he didn't seem to be too bothered by the loss.
The 21-year-old American chose the ASB Classic in Auckland as his first tournament of the new season. It's an ATP 250 event in New Zealand, popular among players thanks to the relative proximity to Melbourne, where the first major of the season is played.
Shelton was the top seed at the event, which meant that he had a first-round bye, starting in the second round of the tournament. But the draw was brutal to him, giving him fellow big-serving youngster Jakub Mensik.
It was their second meeting after Shelton won their match in Indian Wells last year, but this time, the American player wasn't so successful. He lost the first set in a tie-break, 6-7(2), but won the second one 6-4.
Unfortunately for Shelton, despite not being broken for the entirety of the match and saving nine break points in the process, he was broken at the worst possible time, as he was serving to force the deciding-set tie-break.
That meant Mensik won the match 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-5, eliminating the top seed. Still, it didn't seem to bother Shelton that he lost, as he liked how he played.
"I thought I played a good match, I thought he played a better match. He came up with what he needed in the big moments. I played a bad tie-breaker in the first set and lost a few break point chances that could have made it a straight set match. But from then on, I like the way that I battled."
Shelton also said that so far, he has never started a season with a win. In 2023, he lost to James Duckworth in Adelaide, and last year, he lost to Roman Safiullin in Brisbane.
"I’ve not once on the ATP Tour, started the year with a win, so it doesn’t worry me too much. Out of my three (years), this is probably the best I played. I’m obviously real disappointed that I wasn’t able to get it done. But it is what it is."
Shelton was also happy about his serving, but at the same time, he recognized that his opponent's serving was even better.
"I thought I served clutch down the stretch, I thought I returned well against a guy who was hitting lines at over 220km/h every single time, and that radar gun’s broken, he was serving faster."
Mensik, on the other hand, could have been more satisfied with his performance in the second round of the ASB Classic in Auckland. After beating former Top 10 player Pablo Carreno Busta in the first round, he bested the top seed in the second round, and he credited a timely break of his opponent's serve for his win.
"It was a tough match, especially mentally, so many chances to break him. We played three sets, 7-6 4-6 and 6-5, and I didn’t break him. So fortunately, it happened in the last game. So I’m happy that I kept my focus, kept believing and it was the key."
