Coco Gauff reacts to Ben Shelton breaking his own record for fastest serve during US Open 4R clash against Tommy Paul
Coco Gauff reacted to Ben Shelton shattering his own record for the fastest serve clocked so far at US Open 2023.
Shelton faced 14th seed Tommy Paul in the fourth round of the New York Major and beat him 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, to reach his second Grand Slam quarterfinal and first at Flushing Meadows.
During the match, the 20-year-old served a 149 mph ace to break his own record of 147 mph for the fastest serve clocked so far during US Open 2023.
Coco Gauff reacted to Ben Shelton's serve by adding a rocket emoji on her Instagram stories.
When asked about his reaction to his 149 mph ace, Ben Shelton said that it was important for him to change paces in order as he was more concerned about holding serve than the speeds.
"Yeah, I think, like I said the other day, I don't think pace is what makes my serve great. I can definitely get up there in the MPHs, but if I hit 147 every single serve, the guys out here are going to catch up to it and they're going to start returning it and they're going to do it well," Shelton said in a post-match press conference.
"Being able to change paces is something that's really important for me. I saw the 149 on the screen. Yeah, that's cool, but I'm also not out there to chase the miles per hour. I'm trying to effectively hold serve," he added.
Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton are both in the US Open quarterfinals
Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton both booked their respective spots in the US Open quarterfinals.
While Shelton beat Paul, Gauff triumphed 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 over former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki to reach the last eight of the New York Major for the second time on the trot.
Ben Shelton will next face tenth-seeded compatriot Frances Tiafoe, who ousted Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 in the fourth round. Shelton and Tiafoe will lock horns for the very first time and the winner will take on either second-seed Novak Djokovic or ninth-seed Taylor Fritz in the semifinals.
Coco Gauff, on the other hand, will be up against 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals. The Latvian produced arguably the upset of the tournament by beating World No. 1 Iga Swiatek 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 and subsequently ending her 75-week stay at the top of the rankings.
Gauff and Ostapenko will face each other for the third time, with their head-to-head currently tied at 1-1. Whoever out of the two wins the match, will face either tenth seed Karolina Muchova or 30th seed Sorana Cirstea in the semifinals of the US Open.