Shelton keeps home hopes alive in Cincinnati, beats Lehecka to make quarter-finals
Ben Shelton defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday. He’ll play German Alexander Zverev, the No 3 seed, in the next round
Ben Shelton in Cincinnati | © Claude Cabit / Psnewz
American Ben Shelton, the No 5 seed, advanced to the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters by winning against Czech Jiri Lehecka, the No 22 seed, 6-4, 6-4 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on Thursday.
Shelton needed only 81 minutes to overcome Lehecka at Grandstand.
The American registered eight aces, 20 winners and three break-point conversions during the win, also benefiting from Lehecka’s 27 unforced errors to extend his unbeaten run to nine matches.
“I’m hungry, I’m in a good rhythm,” the American said of his recent form after the match. “I’m playing good tennis and my body feels good. I think the confidence along with not being satisfied, wanting to prove myself over and over every time that I’m out on the court, and having things that I want to get better at is a huge motivation for me and it pushes me every match.”
Shelton, ranked No 6, will play German Alexander Zverev, the No 3 seed, next.
The 22-year-old American defeated Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut (7-6 (3), 6-3) and Argentinian Camilo Ugo Carabelli (6-3, 3-1 ret.) in the previous rounds of the Cincinnati tournament.
Earlier in the tournament, Lehecka, ranked No 26, beat Australian Adam Walton (7-6 (5), 7-6 (3)) and edged out American wildcard Tristan Boyer (4-6, 6-1, 6-4).
Cincinnati Masters 1000, other last 16 results (Lindner Family Tennis Center, hard, USD 9.193.540, most recent results first):
- Alexander Zverev beat Karen Khachanov (14): 7-5, 3-0 ret.
- Andrey Rublev (9) beat Francisco Comesana: 6-2, 6-3
- Carlos Alcaraz (2) beat Luca Nardi (LL): 6-1, 6-4
- Terence Atmane (Q) beat Taylor Fritz (4): 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
- Felix Auger-Aliassime (23) beat Benjamin Bonzi: 6-4, 6-3
- Jannik Sinner (1) beat Adrian Mannarino (Q): 6-4, 7-6 (4)
- Holger Rune (7) beat Frances Tiafoe (10): 6-4, 3-1 ret.
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