Coco Gauff's coach reacts to Ben Shelton winning maiden singles title in Tokyo
Coco Gauff’s coach Brad Gilbert has reacted to Ben Shelton’s first ever ATP Tour Title at the 2023 Japan Open.
Ben Shelton claimed his first ATP Tour title by taking down Russian Aslan Karatsev in straight sets 7-5, 6-1 in the final of the Kinishota Group Japan Open Tennis Championships on Sunday, October 22. He did it in just over one hour and twenty minutes. Earlier, the 21-year-old turned the tables from being 2-5 down in the first set to secure victory in his semifinal match against fellow American Marcos Giron.
Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert was quick to react to Ben Shelton's victory over Aslan Karatsev.
"'Strong effort from Gimme Shelton@BenShelton taking out 18 Karot for his 1st @atptour in Tokyo," he wrote, including a slew of emojis.
With his victory in Tokyo, Ben Shelton became the first player to win his maiden ATP 500 title after Lorenzo Musetti in Hamburg in 2022. He entered the tournament ranked 20 in the Pepperstone ATP rankings but will climb to No.15 on Monday. He now has a 14-2 record in his last 16 matches, including a quarterfinal appearance in Shanghai last week.
After winning the NCAA men's single title, Ben Shelton turned professional in August 2022. The budding American tennis star made it to the quarterfinal of the Australian Open in January and also to the final four at the New York Major this year.
In his on-court interview, Shelton said that despite being unable to go the distance in his earlier matches, he was eager to end the season on a high.
"I am really looking forward to this tail-end stretch of the year. I think it is a great opportunity for me. Earlier in the season I was losing early in weeks, so my match count is not that high, so I am feeling fresh. I am looking forward to finishing the season strong," Shelton said.
“I didn’t love tennis, I just wanted to play other sports”- Ben Shelton
in the most recent ATP tennis podcast, Ben Shelton reflected on his early experiences on the court. The teenager talked about the early stages of his tennis career and the circumstances surrounding his introduction to the sport. He emphasized that he lacked interest in tennis initially but then got back to it.
“I think my first memory is being a really young kid and my parents started me out with a tennis racket and a balloon to practice tennis for the first time. I didn’t love tennis at the start and I didn’t want to be a part of it, I just wanted to play other sports. But I got back to it. I think the moment I realized that I wanted to be a tennis player is probably the first professional match I won in Illinois,” he said.