Few Serve as Big as Shelton

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, September 4, 2023

NEW YORK—Describing Ben Shelton’s lethal lefty serve can be a challenge.

That’s because when Shelton is rocking the radar gun with 149 mph missiles as he did in his 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4 US Open win over Tommy Paul, his first serve is basically a blur.

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Andrey Rublev watched Shelton’s seismic serving performance and says the 20-year-old American is already among the biggest servers in the sport with 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios and the now retired John Isner.

“Guys like Shelton, there’s one, two players with that power of the serve. I was very impressed when I saw it,” Rublev told the media after he defeated Jack Draper 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his second straight US Open quarterfinal. “But I knew since he started to play on tour that he have amazing serve. It’s one of his main weapons.

“I don’t know, you always have those players. Nick Kyrgios, for example, Isner, Raonic, who serve huge. Obviously with those players, you need to have super focus, especially on your serve, then to wait for your moment on return.”

Australian Open quarterfinalist Shelton will try to ride his rocket serve into a maiden Grand Slam semifinal when he faces 2022 US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe tomorrow.

Photo credit: Mike Lawrence/USTA  

Photo credit: Mike Lawrence/USTA/US Open