"Sorry I choked" - Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz exchange hilarious banter after crashing out of Paris Masters doubles on latter's 27th birthday
Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton recently exchanged hilarious banter regarding their doubles loss at the 2024 Paris Masters. In an unfortunate turn of events, their exit from the doubles event marked the extent of Fritz's celebrations for his 27th birthday.
Fritz and Shelton have prior experience of playing doubles together, having recently joined forces while representing Team World at the Laver Cup. The pair formed a formidable partnership, claiming a 7-6(5), 6-4 win over Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.
However, the American duo failed to replicate their winning performance against home favorites Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia in their opening match at the Paris Masters, suffering a narrow 4-6, 7-6(4), 10-8 loss.
Taylor Fritz, who rang in his 27th birthday on October 28, took to social media and humorously disclosed that his doubles loss with Shelton was the defining activity of his birthday celebrations. Nevertheless, the World No. 6 expressed gratitude for the opportunity to witness the League of Legends Worlds semifinals the day before.
"27 🙏🏻Thank you for all the birthday wishes - didn’t do much for my bday besides lose a doubles match w/ @benshelton but at least got to go to the @leagueoflegends Worlds Semifinals the day before, so shoutout @riotgames cause that was 🔥," Fritz captioned his Instagram post.
Shelton humorously took responsibility for their defeat, apologizing to the World No. 6 for "choking" on his birthday.
"Sorry I choked on the birthday bro 🤦🏽♂️," Shelton commented.
However, Fritz playfully assuaged his compatriot's guilt, insisting that he wasn't to blame for the loss.
"@benshelton 😂 this L ain’t on u," Fritz responded.
Taylor Fritz set to lock horns with Jack Draper in Paris Masters 2R; Ben Shelton to face Arthur Cazaux
Despite the disappointment of their doubles loss, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton still have the opportunity to clinch the singles title at the 2024 Paris Masters. Following a first-round bye, fifth seed Fritz will take on Jack Draper, who is fresh off his maiden ATP 500 triumph at the Vienna Open.
Fritz enjoys a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head record, having emerged victorious in both of their encounters this season, at the BMW Open and the Paris Olympics. The clash will mark the duo's first meeting on a hard court.
Meanwhile, Ben Shelton kicked off his campaign at the Masters 1000 event with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-3 win over Corentin Moutet. The 22-year-old will face home favorite Arthur Cazaux in the second round, marking their first tour-level encounter.
Drawn in the same quarter, Shelton and Fritz have the opportunity to set up a blockbuster all-Amerian quarterfinal clash in Paris. Taylor Fritz triumphed in their sole previous encounter at the 2023 Indian Wells Masters, beating his compatriot 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.