Ben Shelton came back from one set and two breaks down to beat Marcos Giron 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-5) in 2 hours and 50 minutes reaching the first ATP final of his career at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open inside Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo.
Shelton converted four of the eight break points he earned to set up a final against Aslan Karatsev.
Shelton earned the decisive break in the seventh game of the third set to seal the win in 2 hours and 50 minutes.
The 21-year-old player reached the semifinals at the US Open, the quarter finals at the Australian Open and at the Shanghai Masters 1000 tournament.
Shelton earned the first break in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. The world number 19 saved a break-back point in the eighth game with an ace. Giron converted his second break-back point in the 10th game to draw level to 5-5. Shelton earned an early mini-break to take a 2-0 lead. Giron won seven consecutive points with three mini-breaks to clinch the tie-break 7-2.
Giron broke twice in the third and fifth games to open up a 5-2 lead. Shelton came back to win four consecutive games with two breaks to take a 6-5 lead. Giron saved three set points on serve to hold serve at deuce for 6-6 forcing the match to the decider. Giron went up a 4-2 lead with a mini-break. Shelton won four consecutive points to earn a 6-4 lead and sealed the tie-break 7-5 on his fifth set point with a serve and volley.
Giron squandered three break points in the second game of the third set. Shelton earned the decisive break in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead and sealed the win on his first match point with his 13th ace after 2 hours and 48 minutes.
“It’s a huge achievement for me and my team. Especially the way that the match panned out today. It’s definitely one of the toughest matches I have played in my life. Marcos was waxing me from the baseline at almost every rally and I had to completely change my game up to even have a chance to compete against him. To be able to get through that match and not only figure things out but get a win, going into my first ATP final, the win could not be sweeter”, said Shelton.
Shelton set up a final against Aslan Karatsev, who beat Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3 6-4 to reach the final without dropping a set across his four matches this week. Karatsev broke in the sixth game of the first set and in the fifth game of the second set.
“Everybody came to support Mochizuki. It was something special to play here with the crowd full. I tried to keep my game plan very simple, not to play much attention to the crowd, and I managed to do it”, said Karatsev.
