"I didn't see her" - Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton hilariously banter over former leaving latter hanging for high five during US Open 2024 exhibition
Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton created a meme-worthy moment during their mixed doubles match, causing the crowd to burst into laughter and fans online to react with amusement. The incident occurred during their matchup against Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas at the "Mixed Madness" exhibition event as a part of the US Open Fan Week on Tuesday night.
With $250,000 in prize money at stake, this was not a typical friendly exhibition match. All four players treated the audience to high-octane tennis from start to finish. The Spanish-Greek pairing turned on the heat on Shelton's serve late in the set to seal an emphatic win.
The match also featured plenty of light-hearted moments, with the funniest arguably being when Shelton left Gauff hanging on a high five.
Trailing 2-1 in the first set, Shelton made a terrific volley at the net off a powerful Badosa forehand, securing a crucial point and inadvertently also the game.
Caught up in the thrill of the moment, Shelton completely missed Gauff’s attempt at a high five, leaving her standing awkwardly beside him before she eventually high-fived herself. Shelton, meanwhile, continued celebrating, completely oblivious to what was happening beside him.
A video of the incident was shared by the US Open on their social media and has since gone viral. Shelton responded to the post, admitting that his snub was unintentional and that he didn't see Gauff at the time.
"My b I didn’t see her 🤦🏽♂️😂," Shelton quipped on Instagram in response to the incident.
Gauff responded to the light-hearted moment by playfully acknowledging that it sucked to be left hanging.
"@benshelton left me hanging rip," Gauff wrote.
Gauff and Shelton remained in high spirits after the loss and looked keen to get their 2024 US Open campaign started. Tsitsipas and Badosa, who won the match 6-4, went on to prevail in the final against Amanda Anisimova and Taylor Fritz, securing the substantial prize of a quarter of a million dollars.
Ben Shelton hints at possible mixed-doubles partnership with Coco Gauff at 2028 Olympics
Ben Shelton suggested the possibility of another partnership with Coco Gauff at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, thrilling everyone in the stands during the pair's on-court interview.
It had also been Shelton's long-time dream to play alongside Gauff, and he was grateful that it finally came true despite the loss.
"Yeah, I'd say that the way that she's performing at the Grand Slams this was probably the only time we were going to mixed doubles together. So it was definitely a lot of fun. Olympics LA, also a possibility USA. But yeah I felt bad that I couldn't give more to the team tonight, I thought she played unbelievable. I apologize to Coco, but it was a lot of fun being out here," Shelton was quoted as saying.
Shelton missed out on this year's Olympics because playing on the European red clay after Wimbledon could have messed up his preparation for the American hardcourt swing.
With the 2028 edition set to be at home in Los Angeles, one can be sure that both Gauff and Shelton will be around representing the United States.