Ben Shelton is already back playing tennis, having managed the quickest of turnarounds after winning his maiden Masters 1000 title in Toronto.
It marked an outstanding week of tennis for the young American, who showcased indomitable spirit to bypass some really high-level opponents.
Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Flavio Cobolli and Karen Khachanov all fell during his conquest, culminating in the biggest win of his career so far.
However, he was afforded little time to celebrate his achievements, as one of a handful who went deep in the Canadian Open and also are playing in Cincinnati.
The two WTA finalists both opted to skip this event, but Ben Shelton was enthused. Having won his first-round match, that already seems like a smart decision.
Ben Shelton reacts after winning his Cincinnati Open first-round match
And, whilst the circumstances of his win were somewhat tarnished, the retirement of Camilo Ugo Carabelli will almost definitely help with his recovery.
After all, he was afforded just two days of rest after a hectic week of tennis, before being thrown back into action at the Cincinnati Open.
Asked about this remarkably quick turnaround in his post-match on-court interview, Shelton admitted: “It’s definitely not easy to play a couple of days after winning a title.”
He then turned attention to his unfortunate opponent, forced to retire: “I feel for Camilo and it’s obviously not the way that you want to go through. I hope that he has a quick recovery.”
The 22-year-old finished by expressing his excitement at being back here, concluding: “I’m just excited for the opportunity to play here in Cincinnati. This is the tournament where I had a big breakthrough and one that I never want to miss.”
Despite beating Khachanov, Shelton outlined the two areas of his game he still needed to improve after his title. This mindset will surely take him to even greater heights in the coming years.
Ben Shelton could break through at the US Open this year
Although it seems ridiculous to suggest that a player now ranked sixth in the world could ‘break through’ at an event where he has already reached the semi-finals before, that is the case.
After all, there are two key hurdles that he must overcome to truly break through and establish himself as a tangible threat for Grand Slam titles: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Despite a steady year thus far, this duo have thwarted Shelton at every single major tournament, halting his progress when he otherwise looked comfortable against most other opponents.
All it takes is for him to beat one of them, just once, to potentially open up the draw for himself to reach the final.
Hopefully, this Canadian Open title can spur him on to achieve his ultimate goal of Grand Slam glory.
