During the British summer, when it rains all day, the roof of Building 1 is closed. One The world’s number one court. One Yannick Sinner beat world number one. 14 Ben Shelton has a straight set. 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(9), and advanced to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.
“I thought I came out slow, my feet weren’t moving the way I wanted them to,” Shelton said in his postgame press conference. “I lost a lot of baseline rallies.
“When I was halfway through the second set and going into the third set, the turnaround started and I started winning long rallies. I felt good, I was moving, I was comfortable on the court and I was hitting points.
“The third set was a half inch here, a half inch there. I had four set points. One was on my serve, the other three were all on my racquet. So, I think there are a lot of positives to take away, but it’s a sport of small margins.”
Shelton, a left-handed pitcher, serves with tremendous power and spin. In the game, he 15 An ace and four double faults.
(John Walton/dad)
Sinner serves more accurately. He hit seven aces and no double faults in the match.
Shiner seemed to read Shelton’s serve really well, and Shelton may have been taken aback to see Shiner receive his powerful serves so many times.
In the post-match press conference, Sinner said: “Well, against big servers, there are times when you have to guess, especially at crucial moments. The tiebreak was tough because I was ahead. 5-2, 5-three. I was ready, but I missed a step. I 5-6 Down. A little bit of momentum change, a little bit of change. But you could lose the third set, and then everything could happen in the fourth and fifth sets.
“I’m happy with how I handled the situation. It was definitely very, very difficult to play against him. He was one of the best servers on tour, and a very aggressive player.
““I’m glad you came back today. Yes, I’m sure that was one of the highlights of today.”
Watching the match, I never felt like Sinner was in much danger. Even if he lost the third set, it looked like he could level up and win the fourth.
Sinner is a more balanced player than Shelton. His technical skills are better. His head is very still, even when he puts the ball in the corner.
Sometimes Shelton was unsteady and could be seen falling backwards when his forehand was late. But when he had time and got through, it was a big win. Shelton’s backhand was straight and compact, which worked well on grass.
Sinner’s next opponent is fifth seed Daniil Medvedev.
Sinner said he practiced with Medvedev earlier this week. “He did really well, so it’s going to be tough. I’m looking forward to it. Again, it’s a big challenge for me.
“But this is what I practice. I hope it’s a good match.”
