The late-blooming 20-year-old is a rising star thanks to a blistering serve that he is learning to balance with the rest of his game. At the packed grandstand court here on Friday, you could hear the fans’ murmured conversation, a low, languid hush, as Ben Shelton toed the line to serve for the first time. Then the hush came to a jarring halt. Shelton’s knees bent, his shoulder cranked, and his Yonex tennis racket thrust violently toward the tossed ball. Crack! He unleashed a 130-mile-per-hour heater, an ace that stunned his third-round opponent, Russian tour vet Aslan Karatsev, and sounded like a leather whip lacing a fence post. “Whoa!” came a unified response from an astonished and suddenly very loud and awake crowd, a large majority of which had likely never seen Shelton, still in his first year as a professional. “So, this is what everyone’s talking about,” I heard a fan mutter. “He’s got some serious game,” said another. Serious game, indeed. Read full article here 2-4-1: NY Times: Ben Shelton Advances to U.S. Open Semifinal Against Novak Djokovic Shelton, 20, becomes the youngest American man to reach a U.S. Open semifinal since Andy Roddick in 2003. Highlight: There is a specific sound that comes off Shelton’s racket when he lays into a serve or a stroke like only he and Carlos Alcaraz, the world No. 1, can these days. It’s nothing like the familiar thwop of strings hitting a felt ball, but more like a sledgehammer nailing a spike into a railroad tie. Tiafoe’s serve was plenty good. Shelton’s forehand return blasted onto the line inches from the corner. Tiafoe barely moved for it. Read full article here
