Australia’s Alexei Popyrin is out of the Australian Open, falling to young American Ben Shelton in an entertaining third-round clash.
Australia’s Alexei Popyrin is out of the Australian Open, falling to Ben Shelton in an entertaining third-round clash where the young American put a marker down asPopyrin was hardly disgraced in a clinical performance by the 20-year-old, who grew with confidence through the match, winning 6-3, 7-6 , 6-4. The left-hander’s swinging for the lines, often with success, was enough for tennis pundits to sit up and take notice.
but Saturday night’s straight-sets loss to the highly regarded Shelton wasn’t a case of the Australian succumbing to nerves or the occasion of a high-profile night clash on the tournament’s middle Saturday. Plainly and simply, Popyrin came across an opponent to watch and who could continue to climb the rankings quickly. Shelton is a relative newbie to the ATP Tour after a college background but, on the evidence in Melbourne so far, he’s a player with a game to match the talk.
He reeled off 34 winners compared to Popyrin’s 23 and while his first serve was behind the Australian on accuracy, Shelton usually capitalised.He shouldn’t be disappointed. Instead he can focus on some gains, including his big five-set second-round win over Taylor Fritz.This run at Melbourne Park equals Popyrin’s best finishes at his home slam – runs to the final 32 in 2019 and 2020. He’s also gone that deep on the Flushing Meadows hard courts in New York in 2019 and 2021.
For now, however, the hopes and dreams of a second-week run at any of the majors is still out of his grasp.
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