WATCH: Brilliant Ben Shelton shot against Jan-Lennard Struff

Ryan Jarvis 29 Apr 2023 3:09 PM

Ben Shelton playing a shot

The Madrid Open has already graced us with some incredible efforts, and Ben Shelton helps to add that to the list with his impeccable shot against Jan-Lennard Struff.

The American star is very new to the clay court, and his lack of experience has certainly caused a few upsets in recent tournaments for the rising star. Despite his lack of form, Shelton has been able to produce some spectacular moments on the surface.

Shelton has had a difficult time adapting to the clay court and has only been able to claim two wins out of his last five matches. His last match on clay saw him suffer a 6-2, 7-6 (7-1) defeat to Casper Ruud in the Barcelona Open round of 32.

His competitor, Struff, has proven his ability on the surface, claiming seven wins from his last eleven matches. His last timeout on the surface saw him grab a confident 6-3,6-1 win over Lorenzo Sonego in the first round of the Madrid Open.

The pair faced off in a gruelling round of 64 match, which saw some fantastic shots from the talented stars. However, 32-seed Ben Shelton certainly produced one of the best shots in the match.

Shelton had been facing some problematic strikes from his German foe in the second game of the first set. Struff sent a perfect deft strike toward the back of the court, that seemed impossible for Shelton to return.

Shelton made a devoted darting effort to reach the shot and matched Sturff’s shot with his own perfect effort. The American showed off his fast reactions to slide ahead of the ball, giving him the opportunity to produce a behind-the-back underarm shot that stunned Struff and everyone in view of it.

Both players performed incredibly throughout the match, despite both players struggling on the breakpoints. Struff was able to claim two from the available five, and Shelton was only able to secure two from his possible six.

The pair battled it out for an exciting two hours and 20 minutes before Struff managed to claim the last laugh with a narrow 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 win over the 32nd seed.

Despite losing the match, Shelton still managed to put up a scintillating display to prove to the world that he has got what it takes to master the clay court.

Struff, ranked No. 65 on the ATP Rankings, is set to face the match winner between No Seven seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Serbian star Dusan Lajovic tomorrow in the round of 32.

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