Japan Open 2023: Ben Shelton sees off Aslan Karatsev to lift maiden ATP Tour title

The 21-year-old is only the second American man to win in Tokyo.

Ben Shelton continued his impressive form from the semifinals and clinched his maiden ATP Tour title at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open 2023 Tennis Championships, defeating Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-1 in just 84 minutes. The young American converted four of his six break points and maintained an impressive 80% first-serve rate (40/50) while winning 80% of his first-serve points (32/40).

Ben Shelton's triumph in the ATP 500 tournament followed a thrilling comeback in the semifinals, where he rallied from a set and two breaks down to beat fellow American Marcos Giron. His remarkable performance has propelled him to a top-15 ranking, climbing from No. 96 at the start of the season to World No. 14.

Ben Shelton now holds a 2-0 head-to-head record against Karatsev, having previously defeated him in the round of 32 at the 2023 US Open. Notably, he is the second American to claim the Tokyo crown, following Taylor Fritz's victory in 2022.

Ben Shelton has also risen to third place in the race to Jeddah, where the Next Gen finals will be held from November 28 to December 2, 2023.

Shelton's path to the final included victories over Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel (3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2)), Australian Jordan Thompson (6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3), fifth-seeded Tommy Paul (7-6 (4), 6-3), and qualifier Marcos Giron (6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-4).

On the other hand, the 50th-ranked Karatsev had notable wins against 6th-seeded American Frances Tiafoe (6-3, 7-6 (4)), Chinese Zhizhen Zhang (6-3, 6-4), Australian Alex De Minaur (6-3, 6-2), and Japanese wildcard Shintaro Mochizuki (6-3, 6-4) earlier in the tournament.