2023 US Open semifinalist Ben Shelton brought the heat to his second-round debut Tuesday at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, defeating fellow American Mackenzie McDonald in straight sets to continue his summer momentum.
Shelton, seeded No. 4 in the Citi Open and ranked a career-high No. 8 in the world after his Wimbledon quarterfinal run earlier this month, came out firing at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center, serving big and completing a 6-4, 6-3 win — improving to 4-2 in D.C. after last year’s semifinal showing.
With back-to-back wins totaling just two hours on court, Shelton acknowledged the balance between quick matches and building endurance during the summer hard-court season.
“Yeah, it’s good for me in the short term right now to get off the court quick and be ready for my next match, which is tomorrow,” Shelton said at his post-match press conference Thursday, July 24. “If you keep winning here, you play every day. But in the long term, getting court time, getting used to being out in that heat, regardless, you get to the US Open, you’re going to be out there for three hours at some point if not longer.”
Ahead of his matches, Shelton highlighted the electric energy of the Citi Open, saying it’s a tournament he never wants to miss and that fuels his focus and intensity on court.
“Always the biggest goal is the US Open,” Shelton said at his pre-match press conference Sunday. “I think this is one of the tournaments with the best tennis crowds. There is a lot of energy around this tournament.”
That crowd-fueled intensity showed in his second-round win, where Shelton controlled the tempo with his serve and never faced a break point.
In just over an hour, he overpowered McDonald with the same confidence that’s made him a threat deep into the summer hard-court swing.
“I think I’m a good athlete,” Shelton said. “I think I’m an all-purp player. The lack of hesitation, the split-second decisions to take away time, be aggressive, and impose my will on who I’m playing is where I need to be at. It’s a process. I’m not the player I want to be yet. I’m not where I want to be in a lot of areas, but I’m improving every year, getting better from the baseline every year.
His confidence never wavered Thursday, as Shelton rolled past Gabriel Diallo 6-3, 6-2 — his second straight-sets win in as many matches at the Citi Open.
Shelton is scheduled to face fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals on Friday, July 25, at the Citi Open, setting up a rematch of their 2023 U.S. Open quarterfinal clash — a high-stakes meeting between two top American players.
Picture Credit: Fox Sports Radio Photographer Joy Washington
