Ben Shelton claimed his first tour title at the Japan Open by defeating Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-1. The 21-year-old American has been in excellent form recently, with a strong performance at the U.S. Open where he reached the semifinals. In the final against Karatsev, Shelton showcased his skills with 18 winners and a dominant lefty serve. The match lasted 84 minutes, and Shelton expressed how meaningful the victory was for him and his team. They have been working hard to develop his game and achieve success on the ATP tour. Shelton admires the great champions who consistently finish strong and aims to follow in their footsteps.
Shelton’s triumph in Tokyo resulted in a significant boost in the ATP rankings. He will rise to a career-high No. 15 on Monday, a remarkable improvement from his starting position of No.96 at the beginning of the season. This breakout year for the young American includes reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and becoming the youngest American man to reach the semifinals at the U.S. Open since 1992. He also made it to the quarterfinals at the Shanghai Masters the previous week.
As for Karatsev, the 30-year-old Russian was vying for his fourth title but struggled to find his rhythm against Shelton. With 20 unforced errors, Karatsev couldn’t gain any momentum in the match. Meanwhile, in the women’s Jiangxi Open in China, Katerina Siniakova produced a stunning comeback against fellow Czech player Marie Bouzkova. Saving three match points, Siniakova rallied from a set and a break down in both the second and third sets. After a grueling three hours and 33 minutes, she emerged victorious with a 1-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) win to claim her fifth career title and second of the season. Siniakova had previously won the Hamburg tournament in July.