Overview

• 21-year-old American tennis player, Ben Shelton advances to his first final after defeating fellow American Marcos Giron during the semifinals of Japan Open Tennis Championship.
• By winning over Giron, Shelton has put himself in line for a potential revenge clash against Aslan Karatsev, following his defeat in last month's U.S. Open.
• Shelton, who was also a semifinalist in last week's tournament in Shanghai, had to rally from a set down to secure his victory over Giron.
• In the match against Giron, Shelton, described the game as one of the toughest he's played, was compelled to drastically adjust his approach to stand a chance against his compatriot.
• Meanwhile, Aslan Karatsev advanced to his first tour-level final since Sydney in January 2022 after ending Japanese wild-card entry Shintaro Mochizuki’s dream run in the semifinals.