Ben Shelton is into yet another Masters 1000 quarter-final, having translated his title-winning form from Toronto into Cincinnati.
It’s remarkable how this young American just keeps winning, maintaining both form and fitness despite playing so many matches.
This mindset therefore explains his meteoric rise up the world rankings this year, having just reached a career-best of sixth in the world.
Meanwhile, his fellow finalist from the Canadian Open has not been so fortunate, as Karen Khachanov retired injured from his match vs Alexander Zverev.
Ironically, that is who Ben Shelton will now face for a spot in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open.
What Ben Shelton keeps doing that’s impressing Lindsay Davenport
Speaking about her compatriot on the Tennis Channel Live podcast, Lindsay Davenport admitted that she had been left really impressed by Shelton’s ability to not just keep playing, but to keep winning despite his huge workload.
She first admitted: “It’s so hard when your start time can change by about 10 hours. You can be at 11 am, you can be at 9 pm, and you’ve got to be able to handle all of it.”
Davenport then honed in on what has stood out for her, continuing: “What is impressing me most is coming off a title at a 1000 event, he has every right to say, “Ah, I’m a little tired, ah, mentally drained. Oh, I’ve got my title, I’m gonna get ready for the open. You kind of mail it in.” And he’s doing the opposite.
“He now has the mindset of a top player. Nope, every tournament I play, every tournament that I show up with, I’m going to look to win it. I’m gonna look to do my best. He’s not looking for the exit at all.
“Sign of a lot of maturity and growth, but also a mindset of, no, no, I believe I can win every tournament that I play.
“Love to see that from Ben, he’s fighting through the conditions. He’s fighting through obvious fatigue, playing so many matches the last few weeks, and he’s embracing it all.”
Heading into the US Open, Shelton looks poised to be the second-highest-ranked American in the men’s draw, just behind Taylor Fritz.
Ben Shelton previews his Cincinnati Open match vs Alexander Zverev
Having seen a potential match with Alexander Zverev at the Canadian Open denied due to Khachanov’s shock win, this will mark their first meeting since the German overcame Shelton in Stuttgart earlier this year.
In fact, the 22-year-old has yet to record a single win over the three-time Grand Slam finalist, and will be hoping to put an end to that miserable run and start overturning this unfavourable head-to-head record.
Speaking about the clash with Tennis Channel, he admitted: “I am looking forward to it.
“I feel really comfortable right now, the most comfortable that I have felt on the court, not just playing but returning. The things that I usually feel uncomfortable with, I am feeling really good.
“So I am looking forward to the match-up. It’s where you want to be, right? I want to be playing against top 10 guys, I want to be playing against top five guys. So getting to the point in the tournament more often where I get to match up with those guys is an important goal for me and every time I get to get out there and run it against them is huge.
“It’s one I’m really looking forward to, and I’m excited about tomorrow night.”
