Turin, 9 Sept. (LaPresse) – “I’m exhausted. It was a battle, an epic match, incredibly gruelling physically.” So said Ben Shelton after beating Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the US Open. “At just 23, Carlos is already one of the greatest champions in our sport, and it’s always a pleasure to be on court against him. Sometimes it’s unbelievable to see the shots he manages to come up with. But this was definitely the most enjoyable match I’ve ever played in my career,” he admitted. “Carlos, at just 23, is already one of the greatest champions in our sport, and it’s always a pleasure to be on court against him. Sometimes it’s unbelievable to see the shots he manages to come up with. But this was definitely the most enjoyable match I’ve ever played in my career.” It wasn’t just the serve that was key. “I returned really well and I think I was clever in the way I approached his service games. I forced him to play a lot of shots and I was good at capitalising on the occasions when he wasn’t quite hitting the angles he was aiming for,” he pointed out. “At the same time, I didn’t worry too much when he served exactly where he wanted to and hit aces. For me, it was important to be able to hold my own in the rallies, to have a baseline game plan and to execute it without losing every point from the baseline. That also helped me a lot on the return.” The crowd stayed in the stands supporting both players until well past 3 am. “For me, the energy always comes from the people in the stands. Whether it’s my coaches and my team, my family and friends, or the city of New York, who stayed here until three in the morning and beyond, continuing to chant ‘USA’ right until the end. They’re the ones who allowed me to keep fighting, and they’re the ones who helped me win this match. Thanks to the city of New York.”
US Open, Shelton: “An epic battle, the most enjoyable match of my career”
Turin, 9 Sept. (LaPresse) – “I’m exhausted. It was a battle, an epic match, incredibly gruelling physically.” So said Ben Shelton after beating Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the US Open. “At just 23, Carlos is already one of the greatest champions in our sport, and it’s always a pleasure to be on court against him. Sometimes it’s unbelievable to see the shots he manages to come up with. But this was definitely the most enjoyable match I’ve ever played in my career,” he admitted. “Carlos, at just 23, is already one of the greatest champions in our sport, and it’s always a pleasure to be on court against him. Sometimes it’s unbelievable to see the shots he manages to come up with. But this was definitely the most enjoyable match I’ve ever played in my career.” It wasn’t just the serve that was key. “I returned really well and I think I was clever in the way I approached his service games. I forced him to play a lot of shots and I was good at capitalising on the occasions when he wasn’t quite hitting the angles he was aiming for,” he pointed out. “At the same time, I didn’t worry too much when he served exactly where he wanted to and hit aces. For me, it was important to be able to hold my own in the rallies, to have a baseline game plan and to execute it without losing every point from the baseline. That also helped me a lot on the return.” The crowd stayed in the stands supporting both players until well past 3 am. “For me, the energy always comes from the people in the stands. Whether it’s my coaches and my team, my family and friends, or the city of New York, who stayed here until three in the morning and beyond, continuing to chant ‘USA’ right until the end. They’re the ones who allowed me to keep fighting, and they’re the ones who helped me win this match. Thanks to the city of New York.”