Ben Shelton reached his first career ATP Tour final on Saturday with a three-set semifinal win over fellow American Marcos Giron at the Japan Open in Tokyo.
Shelton, 21, rebounded from a first-set loss to win 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a two hours, 50 minutes. He hit 13 aces and broke Giron’s serve four times in eight chances. Shelton has made a meteoric rise from World No. 573 to No. 19 this season after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the semifinals of the U.S. Open.
In Sunday’s final, he will face Russian Aslan Karatsev, who ousted wild card and home-country favorite Shintaro Mochizuki 6-4, 6-4 in 94 minutes. Karatsev hasn’t lost a set this week.
Karatsev, No. 50 in the world, is a three-time tour champion. Shelton beat him at the U.S. Open in September in their only head-to-head clash.
–Field Level Media