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Tennis

Ben Shelton Claims His First ATP Tour Title at Japan Open

Ben Shelton is one of the biggest rising stars in the world of tennis to emerge this year, and he finally scored his first ATP Tour title. The 21-year-old American player lifted the trophy at this year’s Japan Open and is set to reach a career-high no. 15 ranking following his triumph. Shelton defeated the likes of Taro Daniel, Jordan Thompson, Tommy Paul, and Marcos Giron on his way to the final and faced Aslan Karatsev in his last match. He defeated the Russian player 7-5 6-1 in 84 minutes in Tokyo to win his very first ATP Tour title. Shelton said this victory meant a lot to him and his team because they had to work really hard to build his game and reach the level needed to win titles on the ATP Tour. "I made some deep runs lately. You see the great champions, they finish weeks off. They win titles, they don't just get to finals… I am not saying I am anywhere there yet, but to be able to do it for one week, put together five matches in a row in Tokyo is really special," said Shelton. Shelton reached his first Grand Slam semi-finals at the US Open last week, and he’ll move to career-high no. 15 ATP ranking following his win in Tokyo.