The Lindner Family Tennis Center witnessed an epic upset on Sunday when Ben Shelton fell to Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria in the second round of the Cincinnati Open. Fans have lambasted the reigning Canadian Open champion for failing to make consecutive deep runs at Masters 1000 events.
After a colossal victory in Montreal, Shelton landed in Ohio as the top favorite to bag the Cincinnati title, especially after Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament.
The excitement surrounding his momentum has now hit a brick wall after the American took a straight-sets beating from Faria 6-4, 6-4.
Fans have criticized Shelton and said that losing to a player outside the top 50 makes it impossible to trust the American to make deep runs at Masters 1000 events going forward.
One user said:
“Ben looked tired and was making so many errors on neutral rally balls / hitting the ball directly back to Faria. Hopefully he gets some much needed rest before the US Open.”
Another user said:
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Ben Shelton’s Stunning Cincinnati Loss After Montreal Triumph
Ben Shelton was sky-high with momentum after capturing his second consecutive Canadian Open title, but suffered a shocking defeat to qualifier Jaime Faria in the second round at the Cincinnati Open.
Visibly, Shelton lacked his signature intensity, while Faria effortlessly dominated from the outset. The No. 79-ranked Faria broke Shelton’s serve early but then trailed the American 1-4 in the second set.
Ultimately, Faria won the last five games, which helped him seal a straight-sets victory 6-4, 6-4.
For Faria, this was the first Top-10 win of his career. The 23-year-old will next take on Australia’s Adam Walton in the third round.
Meanwhile, for Ben Shelton, the US Open is the next big thing. The early exit in Cincinnati gives the American plenty of recovery time and it remains to be seen if that extra downtime will be enough for him to rediscover his rhythm and make a promising run in Flushing Meadows.
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