Ben Shelton had not broken serve all day long when Mariano Navone stepped to the line to serve for the match at 5-4 in set two.
From basically out of nowhere, though, Shelton came up clutch when it mattered most and earned his first break of the afternoon to keep his hopes alive. The last-gasp effort eventually propelled the 13th-ranked American to a 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 victory in round two of the Mutua Madrid Open on Friday.
Following his second-set comeback, Shelton pulled away with two more breaks in the third to advance after two hours and 19 minutes.
“I had to start being more completely aggressive, playing at my 80 percent level without going above my ceiling,” the No. 12 seed explained. “I had to cut out some unforced errors and mix in my serve and volley. I thought that it was really important that I play solid from the back-court but also pick my moments to move forward and finish at the net. Obviously serving is very important here at altitude and as I found my rhythm I served better and better throughout the match.”
“The match was close to over. I was down and out and [the fans] wanted to see a little bit more tennis. So they really got behind me and started cheering hard. I used it and it helped me 100 percent.”
Shelton’s reward is a third-round showdown against Miami champion Jakub Mensik, who defeated Ethan Quinn 7-6(4), 6-1.
The head-to-head series between those two rising stars is all tied up at one win apiece. Shelton prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters before Mensik won a 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-5 thriller earlier this season in Auckland.
Other winners at the Madrid Masters on Friday were Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Francisco Cerundolo, Sebastian Korda, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and Brandon Nakashima. Both Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev advanced via walkover.
