Martina Navratilova shares reaction to Ben Shelton’s umpire intervention
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Martina Navratilova has praised US tennis star Ben Shelton for his sportsmanship and camaraderie against Sebastian Korda in the quarterfinals of the Shangai Masters. An enthralling two-hour and 56-minute contest eventually tipped in the favour of 26th seed Korda, who prevailed 6-7(10), 6-2, 7-6(6). The all-American tie was played amid a sporting atmosphere, with the players showing mutual respect for each other.
Navratilova had been left particularly impressed by Shelton who went out of his way to ensure that Korda was allowed to review a line call after the umpire had made his decision.
During the first set tie-break, Shelton fired a rocket of a serve down the court that went wide of Korda’s racket. The receiver went to challenge the call but it was declined by the umpire.
“I didn’t hear you. I didn’t hear you. You have to make it loud or wave at me,” said the umpire. But Shelton intervened, saying: “I saw him go like this. You can give him… I saw it, you can give him the challenge. He went like this [raised hand].”
Following Shelton’s intervention, the chair umpire changed his mind and allowed the review to go ahead.
The exchange was shared on X. It was then re-posted by Navratilova, who added three applause emojis followed by a thumbs up.
The 66-year-old all-time great was not the only person to voice praise for the spectacle that was Shelton v Korda at the Shangai Masters. Andre Agassi’s former coach Brad Gilbert also appreciated the efforts of both players.
He wrote on X: “What a match in Shanghai @RolexMasters so great to see 2 young Americans Kordaroy and Gimme Shelton.”
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Shelton and Korda are two of the youngest American players in the world’s top 30. Shelton enjoyed a superb run to the US Open semi-finals in New York last month, where he was beaten by eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
The 21-year-old announced his proper arrival on the big stage after clocking up impressive wins against fellow Americans Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe, who were both seeded, at Flushing Meadows.
Korda will now face Polish star Hubert Hurkacz in the semi-final tomorrow. The 23-year-old is currently ranked 26th in the world and has one career title to his name so far. Shelton is yet to win a WTA tour title but has broken into the world’s top 20 this year for the first time.
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