What Ben Shelton did to ‘unsettle’ his opponent in the second round at the Tokyo Open

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Ben Shelton has progressed to the Tokyo Open quarterfinals with a win over Argentina’s Mariano Navone.

The American secured a 6-4, 6-3 victory over the World number 40 to reach the quarter-finals in the Japanese capital.

This was a more straightforward contest for the 21-year-old who needed to come from a set down to defeat compatriot Reilly Opelka in his opening match.

With very little time to rest and recover following the Laver Cup in Germany, Shelton has hit the ground running in Tokyo and it will be very difficult for his opponents to stop him.

What did Ben Shelton do well against his opponent in the Tokyo Open round of 16?

Ben Shelton needed just one hour and 26 minutes to get the better of Navone in what was their first career meeting.

It marked his seventh successive victory at the Tokyo Open and his eighth quarter-final of what has been a solid 2024 season.

This is double the amount the World number 17 managed in 2023, which was his first full season on the ATP Tour.

Miles McClagan, who commented on his match for Sky Sports, said Shelton had far too much power and variation for Navone during the contest.

“It wasn’t the match that Navone needed. He needed things to be really tight,” he said. “Perhaps he was just very nervy in this big stadium against one of the big names in our game. He was just unsettled by what Ben Shelton was able to do. He mixed up the serve and volley nicely.

“Used his slice backhand well, just to get Navone to hit up on the ball, and then he was able to be aggressive behind that. Just too much power and variation for the Argentine to contain.”

Who will Ben Shelton play next?

If Shelton wants to keep his hopes alive of defending a title for the first time, he will have to defeat either Arthur Fils or Matteo Berrettini in the Tokyo Open quarter-finals.

Fils upset top seed Taylor Fritz in his first match, while Berrettini defeated Carlos Alcaraz’s conqueror at the US Open, Botic van de Zandschulp.

The Frenchman lost his only meeting with Shelton so far, which came at the 2023 Laver Cup when Team World dismantled Team Europe 13-2.

Berrettini could set up a first meeting with Shelton should he come through his very first match against Fils.