Ben Shelton won his first ATP Tour title on Sunday, defeating Russian Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-1 at the Japan Open in Tokyo. The 21-year-old Shelton needed 84 minutes to dispatch Karatsev at the ATP 500 event. He saved the lone break point of the match in the second set, won 80% of the points on his first serve, and converted four of six break chances overall. Shelton also fired three aces in the final, finishing off his opponent with a dominant showing on serve.
Shelton matched his best finish at a tournament and became the sixth player to win his maiden title this season. He will rise to a career-high No. 15 when the new rankings are released Monday. He is the youngest Tokyo champion since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001, who was 20 years old. He joins his father, Bryan Shelton, as an ATP titlist, becoming the fourth father-son duo to win tour-level titles in the Open Era.
The US-born Shelton has shown significant improvement over the past few months. He went from being a top-96 outsider in August to reaching his first tour semifinal at the US Open and winning his maiden trophy. He is poised to move up the rankings rapidly and is the youngest player with a shot at breaking into the top 10.
Having already climbed to No. 14 in his first entire season on the ATP Tour, Shelton will look to continue his climb up the rankings at the Vienna, Paris Masters, and NextGen ATP Finals this year. He has the potential to challenge the top 10 players as he grows into a more complete and mature player.
Shelton was the surprise semifinalist in Tokyo after qualifying and advancing to the semis by beating fellow American qualifier Marcos Giron 6-7 (2), 7-6(5), 6-4 in an arm-wrestle of a match. He then dominated the final, consistently taking the ball early on return to rush Karatsev and triumphing in just two sets.
Shelton saved the lone break point of the opening set and won 80% of the points on the first serve and 70% on his second serve. He also fired three aces in the final, giving him a comfortable lead. Karatsev fought hard but could not break Shelton and was forced to commit 20 unforced errors. Shelton won the second set with a ruthless display on serve and closed out the final with a clinical forehand in the tiebreak. The Japanese crowd at Ariake Colosseum was on its feet throughout the final.
