logo
Wimbledon: Ben Shelton beats Sonego again to reach the quarterfinals with his sister still around

Wimbledon: Ben Shelton beats Sonego again to reach the quarterfinals with his sister still around

Al Arabiya07-07-2025
Ben Shelton reached his first Wimbledon quarterfinal–doing a round better than his father-turned-coach Bryan did in 1994–by beating Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 7-5 on Monday.
Shelton, a 22-year-old American who won the 2022 NCAA singles title for the University of Florida, improved to 3-0 against Italy's Sonego in Grand Slam action this season. It's the first time two men faced each other in a year's initial three majors since John McEnroe went 3-0 against Jimmy Connors in 1984. The 10th-seeded Shelton also eliminated Sonego in the Australian Open's quarterfinals in January and the French Open's first round in May. 'Every time I need a big point, he comes up with a highlight shot,' Shelton said, 'and maybe the same vice versa.'
Shelton finished this latest meeting with a flourish, breaking the 47th-ranked Sonego to avoid heading to a tiebreaker, then throwing his head back, yelling 'Come on!' and pounding his chest. 'I'm happy with the way that I played that last game. I feel like that was my best tennis, my best returning, and that's what I'm going to need to continue in this tournament,' said Shelton, who advanced to a matchup against No. 1 Jannik Sinner or No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov. 'So for me to end the match with that sort of game gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.' Up in the stands at No. 1 Court were Shelton's parents, his sister Emma–who stuck around at the All England Club after he made a public plea for her not to have to return to her job at Morgan Stanley on Monday as originally planned–and his girlfriend, US national soccer team star Trinity Rodman. 'I've got a lot of people that I love over there,' Shelton said during his on-court interview.
He credited his father with inspiring the way he plays on grass courts. 'He was in the round of 16 here–31 years ago? Give or take. He was a serve-and-volleyer. Big serve. Came forward all the time. He would like to see me coming forward a little bit more than I am. My argument is I think I'm better than him from the baseline,' Shelton said. 'But he's also showing that he has a knack for success on the slick surface, doing the sorts of things that constitute what Shelton termed vintage style tennis of moving forward and cutting off angles and generally being a little bit unpredictable.' Against Sonego, Shelton won the point on 43 of his 58 trips to the net, including 11 of 17 when serve-and-volleying. If he can produce those sorts of numbers in his next match, that could help get him to a third career Grand Slam semifinal after the 2023 US Open and this year's Australian Open.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

A historic win by 45-year-old Venus Williams resonates and shows there are no limits for excellence
A historic win by 45-year-old Venus Williams resonates and shows there are no limits for excellence

Arab News

time2 hours ago

  • Arab News

A historic win by 45-year-old Venus Williams resonates and shows there are no limits for excellence

WASHINGTON: There are plenty of reasons why this particular victory by Venus Williams in this particular tennis match — just one of hundreds — resonated with so many folks. That she's 45, for one thing. Only one woman, Martina Navratilova, ever has won a tour-level singles match while older; her last victory came at 47 in 2004. That Williams hadn't entered a tournament anywhere in 16 months. That she needed surgery for uterine fibroids. And when asked Tuesday night after beating her 23-year-old opponent, Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-4 at the DC Open what message others might take away from that performance and that result, Williams was quick to provide an answer. 'There are no limits for excellence. It's all about what's in your head and how much you're able to put into it. If you put in the work mentally, physically, and emotionally, then you can have the result,' she said. 'It doesn't matter how many times you fall down. Doesn't matter how many times you get sick or get hurt or whatever it is. If you continue to believe and put in the work, there is an opportunity, there is space, for you.' Williams has been winning at tennis for decades. Her pro debut came when she was 14. Her first Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon in 2000, less than a month after her 20th birthday. She accumulated four major singles trophies before Stearns was born and eventually wound up with seven, five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open, plus another 14 in women's doubles — all with her sister Serena — and two in mixed doubles. 'I have so much respect for her to come back here and play, win or lose. That takes a lot of guts to step back onto court, especially with what she's done for the sport,' said Stearns, who is ranked 35th and won NCAA singles and team titles at the University of Texas. 'You have a lot behind you. You have accomplished a lot. And there is a lot of pressure on her and to kind of upkeep that at this age. So massive credit to her for that.' There were challenges along the way for Williams, none more public than the diagnosis in 2011 of Sjögren's syndrome, an energy-sapping auto-immune disease that can cause joint pain. More recent was the pain from fibroids — noncancerous growths — and shortly before the DC Open, Williams said: 'Where I am at this year is so much different (from) where I was at last year. It's night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery.' As thrilled as the spectators — 'Who I love, and they love me,' Williams said — were to be able to watch, and pull, for her under the lights Tuesday, other players were rather excited about it, too. 'I commend her so much for being out here,' said Taylor Townsend. Naomi Osaka's take: 'She's, like, the queen. There's a royal air around her.' 'She's one of the best athletes of all time,' Frances Tiafoe said. 'Her and her sister, they're not only great for the women's game, not only great for women's sports, but they are so iconic.' Yet, there were some on social media who wondered whether it made sense for the tournament to award a wild-card entry to Williams instead of an up-and-coming player. DC Open chairman Mark Ein said it took him about two seconds to respond 'Of course' when Williams' representative reached out in April to ask whether a spot in the field might be a possibility. A reporter wanted to know Tuesday whether Williams took any satisfaction from proving doubters wrong. 'No, because I'm not here for anyone else except for me. And I also have nothing to prove. Zip. Zero. I'm here for me, because I want to be here,' she said. 'And proving anyone wrong or thinking about anyone has never gotten me a win and has never gotten me a loss.'

A historic win by 45-year-old Venus Williams resonates and shows there are no limits for excellence
A historic win by 45-year-old Venus Williams resonates and shows there are no limits for excellence

Al Arabiya

time5 hours ago

  • Al Arabiya

A historic win by 45-year-old Venus Williams resonates and shows there are no limits for excellence

There are plenty of reasons why this particular victory by Venus Williams in this particular tennis match – just one of hundreds – resonated with so many folks. That she's 43, for one thing. Only one woman, Martina Navratilova, ever has won a tour-level singles match while older; her last victory came at 47 in 2004. That Williams hadn't entered a tournament anywhere in 16 months. That she needed surgery for uterine fibroids. And when asked Tuesday night after beating her 23-year-old opponent, Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-4 at the DC Open, what message others might take away from that performance and that result, Williams was quick to provide an answer. 'There are no limits for excellence. It's all about what's in your head and how much you're able to put into it. If you put in the work mentally, physically, and emotionally, then you can have the result,' she said. 'It doesn't matter how many times you fall down. Doesn't matter how many times you get sick or get hurt or whatever it is. If you continue to believe and put in the work, there is an opportunity, there is space for you.' Williams has been winning at tennis for decades. Her pro debut came when she was 14. Her first Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon in 2000, less than a month after her 20th birthday. She accumulated four major singles trophies before Stearns was born and eventually wound up with seven – five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open – plus another 14 in women's doubles – all with her sister Serena – and two in mixed doubles. 'I have so much respect for her to come back here and play, win or lose. That takes a lot of guts to step back onto court, especially with what she's done for the sport,' said Stearns, who is ranked 35th and won NCAA singles and team titles at the University of Texas. 'You have a lot behind you. You have accomplished a lot. And there is a lot of pressure on her and to kind of upkeep that at this age. So massive credit to her for that.' There were challenges along the way for Williams, none more public than the diagnosis in 2011 of Sjögren's syndrome, an energy-sapping auto-immune disease that can cause joint pain. More recent was the pain from fibroids – noncancerous growths – and shortly before the DC Open, Williams said: 'Where I am at this year is so much different (from) where I was at last year. It's night and day being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery.' As thrilled as the spectators – 'Who I love and they love me,' Williams said – were to be able to watch and pull for her under the lights Tuesday, other players were rather excited about it, too. 'I commend her so much for being out here,' said Taylor Townsend. Naomi Osaka's take: 'She's like the queen. There's a royal air around her.' 'She's one of the best athletes of all time,' Frances Tiafoe said. 'Her and her sister, they're not only great for the women's game, not only great for women's sports, but they are so iconic.' Yet there were some on social media who wondered whether it made sense for the tournament to award a wild-card entry to Williams instead of an up-and-coming player. DC Open chairman Mark Ein said it took him about two seconds to respond 'Of course' when Williams' representative reached out in April to ask whether a spot in the field might be a possibility. A reporter wanted to know Tuesday whether Williams took any satisfaction from proving doubters wrong. 'No, because I'm not here for anyone else except for me. And I also have nothing to prove. Zip. Zero. I'm here for me because I want to be here,' she said. 'And proving anyone wrong or thinking about anyone has never gotten me a win and has never gotten me a loss.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store