Twenty-sixth seeded Sebastian Korda expressed nothing but admiration for his compatriot Ben Shelton after upsetting him in the Shanghai Masters quarterfinal. He even went so far as to describe Shelton as “such an electric tennis player.”
Korda pointed out how thrilled he was with their performance in a post-game interview, saying, “I played an incredible match. Ben did as well. It was really high level. We had a lot of great points out there. Hopefully it’s the first of many many battles we play against each other. He’s such an electric tennis player. It’s a lot of fun to share the court with him.” ❤️
Sebastian Korda had kind words for Ben Shelton:
“I played an incredible match. Ben did as well. It was really high level. We had a lot of great points out there. Hopefully it’s the first of many many battles we play against each other. He’s such an electric tennis player. It’s a… pic.twitter.com/f33Fw38fws
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 12, 2023
Korda vs Shelton
Korda and Shelton went head-to-head last Thursday at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in what was billed as the first all-American clash in the event’s quarterfinals since 2017.
There was a lot of excitement leading up to the match since Shelton made a major splash on social media two days before the event when he defeated World No. 4 and China Open champion Jannik Sinner and made his signature ‘hanging up the phone’ gesture.
The 21 year old was well on his way to glory when his journey came to a screeching halt when he got blocked by the resilient Korda.
After two hours and fifty-five minutes of play, the match came to an end, leaving spectators breathless after watching two players give their all on the court. Korda achieved a thrilling victory over Shelton with a score of 6-7(10), 6-2, 7-6(6).
Even Bob Ryan, a successful doubles tennis player, commended the two for putting quite a performance for everyone, saying on Instagram: “Great match, Fellas👏 @sebastiankorda @benshelton @rolexshmasters,”
Korda was also asked, “It was so tense in that 3rd set tiebreak when you had 5 match points. What went through your mind?”
Sebi: “I don’t know. Don’t remind me.” 😂
Sebastian Korda after beating Ben Shelton in Shanghai
“It was so tense in that 3rd set tiebreak when you had 5 match points. What went through your mind?”
Sebi: “I don’t know. Don’t remind me.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/pBo0w7pc8f
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 12, 2023
Even the Tennis Letter was left impressed by the two, stating on X:
Ben Shelton & Sebastian Korda just left it all out there for almost 3 hours.Great sportsmanship. Great tennis. The first All American Masters QF since 2017… It was worth the wait. ❤️
Ben Shelton & Sebastian Korda just left it all out there for almost 3 hours.
Great sportsmanship.
Great tennis.
The first All American Masters QF since 2017…
It was worth the wait. ❤️
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 12, 2023
Korda achieved the distinction of being the first American to reach the semi-finals of the Shanghai tournament, thus improving his overall record against Top 20 opposition this season to 7-5, as per the ATP tour.
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