Ben Shelton appeared to be dealing with an ankle injury.
It was bad timing for the 22-year old American, who also put up a nightmare third set to fall behind 2-1 in his French Open first-round match.
But the powerful lefty overcame all of it to rally past Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in a rematch of the Australian Open quarters. The match lasted three hours, 32 minutes and took Shelton past midnight local time in Paris.
It’s the kind of victory Shelton needs to get if he’s to live up to the praise recently heaped upon him.
Tennis commentator John McEnroe, who knows a thing or two about the game, recently called Shelton the “best hope” for a U.S. player to win a Grand Slam title.
Shelton has gotten close but not yet made it over the hump yet.
He’s seeded 13th at Roland Garros and got a tough draw with his opening match but got through it.
Hopefully he can get a strong night sleep and a solid recovery day before getting back at it.
The clay courts may not be best suited for Shelton’s strengths, anyway, but the deeper he can go in the tournament, the more confidence he can build up.
And if he builds up enough confidence, Shelton can eventually prove McEnroe right.
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