Latest news with #LorenzoSonego
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Ben Shelton dazzles in win against Sonego to reach first Wimbledon quarter-final
Some match-ups in tennis just guarantee entertainment. In front of an enthralled Court No 1 crowd here, the American Ben Shelton and Italy's Lorenzo Sonego produced magic, as they always do, and as has usually been the case, it was Shelton who came out on top to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time. The left-handed Shelton, who has made the semi-finals of the US and Australian Opens, served rockets, carved angles and slashed winners all over the place as he claimed a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 7-5 victory. It's 25 years since an American man – Pete Sampras – last won the title here and the way he plays makes Shelton a genuine threat. 'It was difficult,' said Shelton, who will play Jannik Sinner or Grigor Dimitrov next. 'I feel like every time I play Sonego, whenever I need a big point he comes up with a highlight reel, and sometimes vice versa. It was a lot of fun. I'm getting very comfortable out here on Court No 1.' Not for the first time, these two brought the best out of each other, inspiring the other at every turn. At the Australian Open in January, Sonego hit the shot of the tournament, a volley that spun back over his side of the net, but Shelton won in four sets; at Roland Garros last month, they went the distance in an instant classic before Shelton edged his way through. With a first quarter-final here at stake for both men, each was a little nervous early on and a tricky wind did not help matters. But they soon settled into their usual fare; outstanding shot-making, outrageous movement and even the occasional full-length drive. Sonego began strongly to take the first set but Shelton hit back to level. A dipping, brilliant backhand pass in the seventh game of the third set gave him a crucial break but Sonego broke straight back only for Shelton to dominate the tie-break. The fourth set looked headed for a tie-break but Shelton played his best return game of the match to clinch victory. Marin Cilic had harboured hopes of going deep in the tournament after taking out fourth seed Jack Draper in round two but the Croatian was edged out by another Italian, the 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli, going down 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3). Cilic had a chance to take it to a decider when he broke to lead 4-3 in the fourth but could not hold on and Cobolli snatched the tie-break to reach the quarter-finals of a slam for the first time. 'It is something that I dream [about] since I was young,' said Cobolli, who will play the seven-time champion Novak Djokovic next. 'I'm real emotional because this is a day that I will never forget.' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Cilic rued his missed opportunity. 'Yeah, a bit disappointing to go out,' he said. 'I felt that there was possibly a good chance to come back in the fourth and to have some good energy in the fifth.'
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wimbledon: Ben Shelton beats Sonego again to reach the quarterfinals with his sister still around
Lorenzo Sonego of Italy waves to the crowd after losing the men's singles fourth round match against Ben Shelton of the U.S. at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Ben Shelton of the U.S. celebrates winning the men's singles fourth round match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Shelton's parents Bryan Shelton and Lisa Witsken Shelton, from left, girlfriend Trinity Rodman and sister Emma Shelton watch Ben Shelton of the U.S. winning the men's singles fourth round match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Ben Shelton of the U.S. celebrates winning the men's singles fourth round match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Ben Shelton of the U.S. celebrates winning the men's singles fourth round match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Lorenzo Sonego of Italy waves to the crowd after losing the men's singles fourth round match against Ben Shelton of the U.S. at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Ben Shelton of the U.S. celebrates winning the men's singles fourth round match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Shelton's parents Bryan Shelton and Lisa Witsken Shelton, from left, girlfriend Trinity Rodman and sister Emma Shelton watch Ben Shelton of the U.S. winning the men's singles fourth round match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Ben Shelton of the U.S. celebrates winning the men's singles fourth round match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) LONDON (AP) — 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. Advertisement 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.' Advertisement 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, U.S. 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. Advertisement 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 U.S. Open and this year's Australian Open. ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: More AP tennis:
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wimbledon 2025: Ben Shelton advances to first Wimbledon quarterfinal, defeating Lorenzo Sonego in 4 sets
No. 10 seed Ben Shelton became the second American men's player to advance to the 2025 Wimbledon quarterfinals, defeating Lorenzo Sonego in four sets 3-6, 6-1, 7-6, 7-5. Shelton has made it to the tournament's quarterfinals for the first time in his career. With that, Shelton's sister, Emma, will get to continue her stay in England through at least Wednesday while taking a break from her job at Morgan Stanley. Emma was supposed to return to work in the United States on Monday. But she got the rest of the week after Ben publicly requested for his "lucky charm" to remain with her brother following his third-round win over Marton Fucsovics on Saturday. Advertisement Shelton will face the winner between No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner and No. 19 Gregor Dimitrov. Monday's match was the third time Shelton has defeated Sonego in a Grand Slam tournament, previously besting him at the Australian Open and French Open. Sonego frustrated Shelton early by handling his serve and preventing him from getting aces. More importantly, the Italian kept his opponent guessing throughout the first set, mixing together a variety of shots to keep Shelton off rhythm. Sonego seemed to use everything in his arsenal — drop shots at the net, slices down the line and cross-court lobs — to keep Shelton moving. Advertisement Additionally, Sonego controlled play with his serve which seemingly forced Shelton to take extra time to get set before receiving. At one point, the umpire warned him about that tactic. Yet Shelton argued that Sonego was taking 25 seconds or more to serve — something that was an issue in Sunday's fourth-round match between Cameron Norrie and Nicolás Jarry. "No matter what he will never start before it's down to 3, 2, 1," Shelton could be heard telling umpire Alison Hughes as the players changed sides, according to the Daily Express. Getting rattled and appearing to lose his focus resulted in Shelton losing the first set rather decisively, 6-3. Advertisement That changed in the second set, though Sonego still had an answer for Shelton's serve. The set turned when Shelton broke serve and won the fourth game on Sonego's double-fault. Whether intentional or not, Sonego continued to try and throw off Shelton's rhythm with longer serve times and bathroom breaks. By that point, Shelton channeled whatever frustration he may have felt into his play and quickly won the second set, 6-1. Both players went back and forth in the third set, neither gaining an advantage on their serve. Sonego fell hard behind the baseline while stretching for a return, resulting in Shelton going up 4-3. But a simliar play occurred on Shelton's end on the next point and Sonego evened it up. Ben Shelton's ability to cover the entire baseline late in his match with Lorenzo Sonego was the difference in a fourth-round victory at Wimbledon on July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) The third set went to a tiebreaker when Shelton held serve and returned a forehand down the line as he got Sonego moving in the opposite direction. He finally overpowered Sonego a few times with his serve, and won the tie-breaking set extending himself to reach a backhand return for the point.
Wales Online
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Clare Balding moves to explain strange markings on Wimbledon star's back
Clare Balding moves to explain strange markings on Wimbledon star's back Ben Shelton beat Lorenzo Sonego 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 at Wimbledon to progress to the quarter-finals Ben Shelton and the marks on his shoulder and back (Image: BBC ) Ben Shelton is through to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time after his thrilling win over Lorenzo Sonego. American Shelton progresses to the last eight for the first time in his career and now faces the winner of Jannik Sinner and Grigor Dimitrov, who play this evening. The 10th seed won the match 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 and the Centre Court crowd certainly took to the US star, who played in a sleeveless white top. On his left shoulder were visible dark, circular markings which caught the eye of viewers, spectators and BBC host Clare Balding, who remarked while Shelton signed autographs: "Great stuff from Ben Shelton, he's a huge personality as well as a phenomenal tennis player. "He's into the quarter-finals for the first time. Goes one stage further than his dad Bryan who he was talking about there... those marks, by the way, on his shoulder, those are not tattoos, that's from cupping, it's bit like what the swimmers do and it really pulls the blood to surface." Cupping therapy is the practice of putting cups on a person's skin for a few minutes to create suction. The idea behind it is to draw blood to or away from parts of your body, helping with pain relief and inflammation. It is commonplace in others sports, too. Article continues below Shelton said post-match: "It was difficult. "I feel like every time I play Lorenzo Sonego, every time I need a big point he comes out with a highlight shot. Maybe it's the same vice-versa as well. It was a lot of fun. "I'm getting very comfortable out here on court one, I love playing in front of you guys. I was told that the crowds here at Wimbledon, before I came over here for the first time, were a bit quieter but I've got to say I didn't feel that today." He added that his father was his inspiration growing up. Bryan Shelton, who is also Ben's coach, was a professional player and reached the same stage at SW19 during his own career. "Definitely my dad," he added. "He was in the round of 16 here 31 years ago, give or take. He loved a serve and volley. "He had a big serve, he came forward all the time and he would like to see me come forward more than I am. My argument is that I think I'm better than him from the baseline. "He inspires the way that I play on grass." Ahead of the final game against his opponent, he revealed he was desperate for the set not to go the distance again. "I don't want to play another tie-breaker!" he admitted. "I didn't want to do it, especially against a guy who is serving the way he is. Usually you don't get the same chance twice, so I wanted to make sure I capitalised on the first one at 15-40. Article continues below "I'm happy with the way I played that last game. "I felt like that was my best tennis, my best returning, and that's what I'm going to need to continue in this tournament. For me to end the match with that game, it gives me a lot of confidence moving forward."
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wimbledon 2025: Ben Shelton advances to first Wimbledon quarterfinal, defeating Lorenzo Sonego in 4 sets
No. 10 seed Ben Shelton became the second American men's player to advance to the 2025 Wimbledon quarterfinals, defeating Lorenzo Sonego in four sets 3-6, 6-1, 7-6, 7-5. Shelton has made it to the tournament's quarterfinals for the first time in his career. Monday's match was the third time Shelton has defeated Sonego in a Grand Slam tournament, previously besting him at the Australian Open and French Open. Advertisement Sonego frustrated Shelton early by handling his serve and preventing him from getting aces. More importantly, the Italian kept his opponent guessing throughout the first set, mixing together a variety of shots to keep Shelton off rhythm. Sonego seemed to use everything in his arsenal — drop shots at the net, slices down the line and cross-court lobs — to keep Shelton moving. Additionally, Sonego controlled play with his serve which seemingly forced Shelton to take extra time to get set before receiving. At one point, the umpire warned him about that tactic. Yet Shelton argued that Sonego was taking 25 seconds or more to serve — something that was an issue in Sunday's fourth-round match between Cameron Norrie and Nicolás Jarry. "No matter what he will never start before it's down to 3, 2, 1," Shelton could be heard telling umpire Alison Hughes as the players changed sides, according to the Daily Express. Getting rattled and appearing to lose his focus resulted in Shelton losing the first set rather decisively, 6-3. Advertisement That changed in the second set, though Sonego still had an answer for Shelton's serve. The set turned when Shelton broke serve and won the fourth game on Sonego's double-fault. Whether intentional or not, Sonego continued to try and throw off Shelton's rhythm with longer serve times and bathroom breaks. By that point, Shelton channeled whatever frustration he may have felt into his play and quickly won the second set, 6-1. Both players went back and forth in the third set, neither gaining an advantage on their serve. Sonego fell hard behind the baseline while stretching for a return, resulting in Shelton going up 4-3. But a simliar play occurred on Shelton's end on the next point and Sonego evened it up. This story will be updated.
