Archive of posts tagged Washington

Washington: Ben Shelton aces his way through. Frances Tiafoe is next

Posted by on

ATP Tour

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. 

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

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.

Washington: Emma Raducanu recovers from deficit in each set to reach semfinal

Posted by on

Anna Kalinskaya

Emma Raducanu made her first semifinal of the year but it came all but an easy way after the British tennis star came from a break down in each set to beat Maria Sakkari 6-4 7-5 in the Washington quarterfinal.

Playing against former world No. 3 Sakkari, Raducanu made a slow start and lost the opening two games. But with three breaks in the remainder of the first set, the 2021 US Open champion managed to overturn the deficit and bag the opener.

After blowing a break in the first set, Sakkari also claimed a break in the sixth game of the second set and went on to open a 5-2 lead. But just when it seemed that their match would go three sets, the British tennis star won the next five games in a row to overturn the deficit once again and complete a two-set win.

In the Washington semifinal, Raducanu will battle against either No. 4 seed Clara Tauson or Anna Kalinskaya.

What Raducanu admitted after beating Sakkari?

After getting the job done against Sakkari in two sets, the 2021 US Open winner admitted that she didn't feel well at all after falling down by a break in the second set and that she just hoped the match wouldn't go three sets.

“I think you get to a point where you’re so tired that you don’t really know what you’re doing anymore, and I think maybe that helped. I just really had to be smooth and conserve energy. I was also thinking if this goes to three sets, I don't know how I’m going to do it. So just happy I toughed it out," the 22-year-old admitted after beating Sakkari.

For Raducanu, this is her first Washington semifinal. In her first two Washington appearances that came in 2022 and 2024, the Briton concluded her run in the quarterfinal.