Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria stunned Ben Shelton at the Cincinnati Open, thrashing the American’s hope of back-to-back deep Masters 1000 runs.
Faria took advantage of a sluggish start from Shelton, who was competing in his first match since winning the Masters 1000 event in Montreal last week, and registered a 6-4, 6-4 win.
The win marks the first Top 10 win of Faria’s career and also snapped Shelton’s six-match win streak.
Faria trailed Shelton 1-4 in the second set before rallying off five straight games to seal the match. Shelton had his chances to fight back throughout the evening, but he converted just 1/12 break points against Faria, according to ATP Stats.
“It’s a very emotional moment for me and my team, and to do it here in front of an amazing crowd and against the home player at night and at an amazing venue just makes it a little more special.”
Next up for Faria is a third-round clash with Australia’s Adam Walton, who defeated Ignacio Buse 6-4, 6-3 in his second-round match on Sunday.
Earlier, sixth seed Taylor Fritz moved past fellow countryman Alex Michelsen by a score of 6-3, 6-4 in his opening round match.
Fritz will face Daniel Merida Aguilar in the third round following the Spaniard’s 6-3, 6-2 win over Zizou Bergs.
