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The Madrid Open has already graced us with impressive efforts, and Ben Shelton’s flawless shot at Jean-Lenard Struff helps add to the list.
The American star is very new to the clay court, and his lack of experience has certainly caused some frustrations in recent tournaments for the rising star. Despite his lack of form, Shelton managed to create some impressive moments on it.
Shelton has had a difficult time adjusting to the clay court and has managed to get two wins in his last five matches. His final appearance on clay was a 6–2, 7–6 (7–1) loss to Casper Rudd in the round of 32 at the Barcelona Open.
The contender Struff has won seven of his last eleven matches and proved his worth. In the first round of the Madrid Open, which he spent last time on the field, Lorenzo Sonigon took a confident 6-3, 6-1.
The pair faced off in a tough round of 64 match, which saw some fantastic shots from the talented stars. However, 32-seed Ben Shelton produced one of the best shots in the game.
Shelton faced some problematic attacks from his German opponent in the second game of the first set. Struff sent a perfect strike to the back of the court that seemed impossible for Shelton to return.
Shelton worked hard to get to the shot and equalized Sturff’s shot with a perfect effort of his own. The American showed his quick reflexes to slide in front of the ball and hit a backhand shot that left Strouf and everyone on the lookout in awe.
Although both players struggled on break points, both players performed admirably throughout the match. Struff was able to claim two of the five available, and Shelton was only able to secure two of the six.
The pair battled it out in dramatic fashion for two hours and 20 minutes before Struff had the last laugh with a narrow 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 victory over the 32nd seed.
Despite losing the match, Shelton still managed to put on an impressive display to show the world that he has what it takes to dominate the clay court.
Struff, ranked 65th in the ATP rankings, will face the winner of seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and Serbian star Dusan Lajovic in the round of 32 tomorrow.
Read more: WATCH: Amazing Andrey Rublev beats Stan Wawrinka
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