Ben Shelton produced a statement victory in the third round of the ATP 500 event in Washington. World no. 8 faced Gabriel Diallo in the third round and notched a dominant 6-3, 6-2 victory in 61 minutes.
The 4th seed dominated from start to finish, making the difference with his booming initial shot and outplaying the Canadian in every department. Shelton took 22 points more than his rival.
Ben blasted 16 aces and as many service winners, dropping six points in nine service games and facing no break points. Diallo felt the pressure and cracked under it.
🎙️ "Attention les joueurs servent très vite"
Shelton claque un service qui touche une spectatrice
🇺🇸 "Désolé c'est ma faute, ça va ?"
Bienvenue à Washington par Ben Shelton 😭pic.twitter.com/8G0qKmcBOu
— TennisTemple (@tennistemple) July 24, 2025
The lower-ranked player struggled behind the second serve and got broken three times from four chances offered to his rival. The American landed 22 winners and seven unforced errors.
They split the 14 most extended points, and a left-hander dominated those up to four strokes, building a 47-25 advantage. The home favorite provided five comfortable holds in the first set.
He made a push on the return in the second game and caused the rival's mistake with a sharp return for an early advantage. Ben fired an ace in the third game and forged a 3-0 advantage after only eight minutes.
The 4th seed held at love for 4-1 and landed a service winner two games later to maintain the advantage. Diallo served well after that early setback. He held in game eight to reduce the deficit to 5-3 and prolong the battle.
Ben Shelton, Washington 2025© Stream screenshot
However, Shelton painted an ace in game nine for a hold at love and 6-3 in half an hour. The Canadian hit a double fault in the third game of the second set, losing serve and moving closer to the exit door.
The American closed the next game at love, you guess, with an ace, and made another push on the return at 3-1. He cracked a forehand down the line winner for a break point and converted it with another forehand winner that sent him 4-1 in front.
Shelton held with an unreturned serve in the sixth game, moving 5-1 up and serving for the win at 5-2. A left-hander sealed the deal with an ace, racing over the top and arranging a thrilling clash against Frances Tiafoe.