Ben Shelton-2
HOUSTON — Top-seeded Ben Shelton advanced to his first clay court quarterfinal on the ATP tour with a win over Zizou Bergs on Wednesday night in the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.
Shelton won 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to advance to face fellow American Brandon Nakashima.
“Just really happy to get through it,” Shelton said. “It definitely was a long one.”
Shelton is trying not to let the pressure of being the No. 1 seed get to him this week.
“I don’t really think about it,” he said. “I’m not someone who really checks the draw too much. I just come out here to compete and play.”
Nakashima, the 2022 ATP Next Gen Finals champion, advanced to the quarterfinals by eliminating Rinky Hijikata 6-1, 6-4. The 22-year-old Nakashima started the year at No. 134 but has climbed to No. 87 in the ATP rankings.
In an upset Wednesday, Luciano Darderi ousted second-seeded Francisco Cerundolo 6-4,2-6, 7-6(4). Darderi won his first ATP Tour title at the Cordoba Open in February.