Ben Shelton has reached the Munich Open quarter-finals on his first appearance at the tournament.
Following an opening-round exit at the Monte Carlo Masters, the 22-year-old has continued his European clay court season in Germany.
The American is still learning how best to adapt his game to play on the clay, but he has made some strides at the ongoing ATP 500 event.
Shelton’s latest victory now means he is into the last eight in Munich and he emulated compatriot and former player Jim Courier in the process.
Ben Shelton does something for the first time since Jim Courier in 1990 at the Munich Open
Ben Shelton took on the dangerous Botic van de Zandschulp in a round of 16 clash at the Munich Open.
The World number 15 dominated a first set tiebreak before going on to win 7-6(1), 6-3 on the back of winning 83% of points behind his first serve.
This result means Shelton has reached his second tour-level quarter-final and he is the first American quarter-finalist at the Munich Open since Courier in 1990, who advanced to this stage of the competition at the age of 19.
Assessing the result, Shelton said: “I’ve figured out how to manage my serve, raise my first-serve percentage a bit and be winning a lot off of my first serve, I’m happy.
“There’s a lot that I can continue to build on going forward in this tournament.”
Ben Shelton describes the differences between European and American clay courts
Shelton has achieved the majority of success in his career so far on hard courts. However, he won the first clay court title of his career at the 2024 Houston Open, but he is still finding his feet on the European clay.
As he continues to adjust to playing on a different surface, Shelton explained the difference between the clay in Europe and his home country of America.
“I’m enjoying it. I feel that I’m learning a lot. And the clay is very different,” he said. “When it’s hot in the United States, I live in Florida or you’re playing in Texas, the clay gets really dry.
“It’s fast. The balls are fast. You get really high bounces. If it’s windy, the clay just blows off the court. Here you have cooler conditions.
“The water doesn’t evaporate as fast, so the play is a little bit heavier, a little slower. I don’t mind it. It’s different for sure.
“Even not just the way the ball goes through the air, but the way it reacts off the court when it is a little damp and heavier and more compact versus in the US, it feels like you’re using rocket launchers.”
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