Ben Shelton facing race against time, set to face Jannik Sinner at Vienna Open on Wednesday 72 hours after Japan Open win in Tokyo

After his victory at the Japan Open, Ben Shelton will have limited time for recovery as he makes his debut at the Vienna Open against Jannik Sinner.

Ben Shelton's outstanding season bore fruit at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where he defeated Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-1 to claim his first ATP title. The American mounted a comeback from a set and a 2-5 deficit in the semifinal against Marcos Giron, capitalizing on that momentum in the Tokyo final. He consistently outperformed Karatsev, triumphing after 84 minutes.

With his first ATP 500 title, Shelton climbed to World No. 14, marking the highest ranking of his career. However, he still faces challenges in the season's homestretch.

One more reason to celebrate: it's the fourth time in history that a father and son have won ATP-level titles. Bryan, who also coaches him, secured titles in Newport in 1991 and 1992. Previously, this feat had been accomplished by the Dent (Phil and Taylor), Krishnan (Ramanathan and Ramesh), and Korda (Petr and Sebastian) families.

The 21-year-old is now very close to achieving something unimaginable just 10 months ago. He started the year as World No. 96, and as of next Monday, he will be World No. 14, marking his best historical ranking.

Now Shelton has less than 72 hours before his appearance at the Vienna Open, where he was drawn against the World No. 4 and second seed, Jannik Sinner.

The long journey from Japan to Vienna will leave him with minimal rest and little time to adjust to the Austrian tournament's conditions. Shelton played three out of his five matches in Tokyo that extended to three sets.

Their first encounter took place in the Shanghai Open's round of 16 less than two weeks ago when Shelton defeated the Italian in a third-set tie-breaker, securing a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 victory.