Ben Shelton fell to a second straight defeat at the ATP Finals on Wednesday, losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Having already lost his opening group stage match against Alexander Zverev, Shelton was beaten 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 by Auger-Aliassime.
Still, it’s been a season of real progress for the American. He won his first Masters 1000 title this year and broke into the world’s top five for the first time.
After winning the Canadian Open in August and recovering from injury later in the year, he came back to take over as American number one. But during Wednesday’s clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime, a worrying trend popped up again.
Ryan Harrison surprised by Ben Shelton’s long wait for an ace
Ben Shelton, known for his powerful serve, had an unexpected moment during his match against Felix Auger-Aliassime. It took him over an hour to hit his first ace, a stat that stood out given his reputation.
The American’s serve has been one of the standout features of his game, but it took until the second set for him to record an ace.
Shelton was leading 6-4, 4-4 when he finally found the mark, finishing the match with seven aces in total.
In his previous match against Alexander Zverev, he also finished with seven aces. While not unusual numbers overall, it was surprising how long it took him to get started against Auger-Aliassime.
Ryan Harrison not impressed by Ben Shelton’s return game
Ryan Harrison, a former ATP Tour title winner, shared his thoughts on Ben Shelton’s return game during the 22-year-old’s match against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Co-commentator Jonathan Overend posed the question to Harrison: “How much improvement does Shelton need to make with his return game?”
Speaking on air for Sky Sports, Harrison replied: “Well a lot of improvement, relative to his level and his world ranking. That’s a shot that really lacks.
“The thing that’s surprising, is sometimes the margin in which he makes the mistake, even on a second serve return or a first serve return that’s on the racket. It’s where you see guys at this level, even if they miss it, they put a good hit on it.
READ MORE: Andy Roddick hints Djokovic may have tipped off Felix Auger-Aliassime
Shelton will take on world number two Jannik Sinner in his final round robin match at the ATP Finals. A win is crucial if he wants to reach the semi-finals.
Shelton has lost six consecutive matches against Sinner, with his last win coming at the 2023 Shanghai Masters.
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