Ben Shelton battled more than just his opponent in his latest Cincinnati Open outing. The fifth-seeded American had to navigate a match postponement, a two-hour rain delay, and challenging service games from Roberto Bautista Agut before securing a 7-6(3), 6-3victory to advance to the Round of 16.
The weather interruptions tested Shelton’s rhythm, but he admitted afterward that they ultimately gave him the reset he needed to close the match with his aggressive style.
What Challenges Did Ben Shelton Overcome To Secure His Spot in the Round of 16?
As the No. 5 seed at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, Shelton earned a bye in the first round and quickly dispatched Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-3, 3-1 (retired) in the second. However, his third-round meeting with Bautista Agut proved far more challenging and was initially slated for Tuesday night before rain forced its postponement.
The American tennis star secured the first set in a tiebreak, then came back energized after a two-hour rain delay with the score at 2-1 in the second, sealing the victory.
A business-like finish from Ben 🫡
Shelton sends off Bautista Agut 7-6(3), 6-3 to book his third round of 16 apperance in Cincy.#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/0v22e5OeaJ
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 13, 2025
The scheduling chaos clearly affected Shelton’s preparation. In his on-court interview after the win, he was candid about the difficulty of adjusting to the disruptions. “Honestly, I don’t think I did a great job [handling the match postponement last night],” Shelton said.
“We left here late last night. I wasn’t able to wind down and get to sleep right away, and it was tough to get up this morning and be ready for a 1 o’clock match. It was a tough day at the office for sure. I was feeling the heat a little bit today, which I hadn’t been the days before, but I kind of found my second wind and yeah, happy with how I finished.”
How Did the Rain Delay Change Shelton’s Approach?
Beyond the sleep issues, Shelton faced tactical problems on court. He acknowledged that the opening set was far from comfortable, saying, “I think that I probably lost more points in the first set than I won. I was able to come out with the set, but he was giving me a lot of trouble on my service games… he was holding pretty comfortably, serving spots, hitting a lot of lines, and yeah, it was really difficult.”
The weather break became Shelton’s turning point. “So the rain delay was a little reset for me. I came out playing much more aggressive tennis, my brand of tennis, and I’m happy with how I finished it.”
Looking ahead, Shelton advanced to the fourth round, where he will take on 22nd seed Jiří Lehečka in a rematch of their 2025 Stuttgart quarterfinal, where the American won in straight sets. The winner of this match will face either the 14th seed, Karen Khachanov, or the third seed, Alexander Zverev, in the quarterfinals.
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