Ben Shelton is out to sharpen his game on European clay

James Richardson 17 Apr 2023 2:22 PM

Ben Shelton was delighted to notch another win on European clay after he downed fellow American Mackenzie McDonald 7-5, 6-4 to reach the second round at the Barcelona Open.

Shelton started his clay swing with a first round win in Estoril but since then lost to experienced campaigners Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov in his next two outings.

The young American says that he is looking to sharpen his game on clay as he prepares to face top ten star Casper Ruud in the Round of 16 in Barcelona.

“I thought that this was definitely a good start to the tournament for me,” Shelton told ATPTour.com.

“I think that I did some things well, some things I could have done better, and over the next couple of days, I’m going to hope to improve on those things and sharpen my game.

“I’m happy with the way that I competed today, and obviously playing on a clay court, things are going to happen. There’s a little more back and forth and things can get tricky, so I’m happy with how tough I was mentally today and my competitive spirit.”

Shelton now faces an opponent unlikely to underestimate him, given that Ruud suffered a stunning loss to the youngster at last season’s Cincinnati Masters.

However, the 20-year-old, who has reached a career-high world No 37 on the ATP Rankings, believes their previous meeting will have little bearing on their Barcelona clash.

“Different surface, different circumstances,” said Shelton.

“I don’t think he had any idea who I was the last time I played him, and I know he knows me now. I assume that he’ll be more prepared for some of my things I’m going to throw at him and I’m really excited for that matchup.”

Shelton raised his profile with a run to the Australian Open last eight earlier this season.

His victory in the Barcelona Open improves Shelton to 11-11 in his singles record in 2023.

Shelton has the base game to do well on clay but has admitted that he needs to learn how to apply his skills best in order to achieve results on the surface.

As he did not take part in last season’s clay swing, Shelton could continue his charge up the rankings if he can find a way to get more wins on la terre battue.

An American man has not won the clay court Grand Slam at Roland Garros since Andre Agassi won the 1999 French Open.