Ben Shelton kicked off his title defense in Tokyo with a two wins over Reilly Opelka and Mariano Navone.
After the histrionics of the Laver Cup, Ben Shelton has settled into the Asian swing while many of his Team World colleagues have floundered.
Both Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe lost their opening matches in Tokyo as the brutal North American hard court swing caught up with the two American’s.
Shelton however has remained sharp since his thrilling win over Daniil Medvedev in Berlin last week.
Likely feeling fresher than his countrymen due to his shorter run at the US Open, Shelton is nonetheless looking to pick up where he left off in Japan, with the American hoping to match his strong ending to the year 12 months ago.
Ben Shelton reveals ‘clean ball-striker’ he hates facing on the ATP tour
The charismatic 21-year-old properly announced himself to the world at last year’s US Open when he made the semi-finals.
While Shelton couldn’t match his 2023 run this year, the tall lefty has become known for his vicious ball-striking and booming serve.
Shelton surprisingly named Russia’s Roman Safiullin as the opponent he finds the toughest to play against, describing him as a ‘clean ball-striker’.
The American has beaten two incredibly different opponents so far in Tokyo, with a challenging test against seven foot Reilly Opelka coming before Argentina’s Mariano Navone.
With the 21-year-old set to play Fritz’s conqueror Arthur Fils in the quarter-finals, he remains the third highest seed left in the draw.
What is Ben Shelton and Roman Safiullin’s record against each other?
The pair have only met twice on the ATP tour and with both contests going to three sets. Each having come away with a win, the pair also met previously on the Challenger Tour, with Safiullin winning on that occasion.
The 27-year-old Russian has notched up a few famous victories in the past few years, getting past Alexander Zverev at the Shanghai masters before seeing off Carlos Alcaraz in Paris a month later.
Shelton will be relieved that Safiullin has elected to play in Beijing this week rather than Tokyo, winning his opener against Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka.
The former world number 36 has Jannik Sinner up next. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to topple another giant.
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