Denis Shapovalov savagely booed enroute to defeat as Shelton grunt complains fall on deaf ears

Denis Shapovalov was public enemy number one on Arthur Ashe Stadium late in the New York night. He would fail to defeat American No.1 Ben Shelton, losing 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 at the US Open. The grunts by Shelton were getting under Shapovalov's skin, and as he attempted to plead his case to the umpire he was met by a chorus of boos by the spectators.

The Canadian has a tendency of complaining about things on the other side of the court out of his hands, not afraid to speak up to the umpire when he thinks is necessary. Unfortunately, to do this against Shelton at the US Open may not have been the best idea with the partisan crowd hopeful of their player to triumph on home soil.

The incident occurred in the middle of the fourth set. After the duo split a brace of tiebreaks, Shelton managed to sneak ahead and retake the lead in what was an extremely topsy turvey match that saw the pendulum switch numerous times.

Shelton instantly broke the serve and sailed into a 2-0 lead after backing that up with a hold. The grunts he was producing was not to Shapovalov's taste with him wandering over to the umpire to state his case.

"I understand the grunt, but the grunt is coming different every shot. It's inconsistent. I'm just saying, he should make it consistent, no?" He argued that the noises he was making was constantly changing up and this was putting him off.

He continued to argue, but the crowd were not satisfied with his efforts. They started to boo the former quarter-finalist and showed their real thoughts on the situation. The 27-year-old eventually packed it un after hearing the umpire's take and trudged back to the baseline as he searched for a pathway back into the match. He would not be able to, and it is consecutive third round exits for Shapovalov.

While there was turbulence on the other side of the court, Shelton remained calm throughout and was able to prevail in a confident manner. It was not the most simple match, especially the first two sets, but he showed his class in the end and had too much power for his opponent and continues his 100% record against Shapovalov.

Speaking in his press conference after the match, he admitted that the long doubles match beforehand featuring the Williams sisters made the match slightly more troubling. "It was tough. We waited three hours, and when we saw they had scheduled a doubles match, we thought maybe it would only take an hour," he said.

"It was hard to deal with, you know, for me. The first set was tough, and then, serving for the set twice in the second and letting it slip away is simply unacceptable. Anyway, it wasn't an easy night. Far from my best. Yes, I got through it. I think I just adapted. The anger probably motivated me a bit. I also accepted my situation, what I had, what I needed to do to win, and I didn't try to go beyond my limits."

It is set to be a blockbuster contest against a certain Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last-16. The Greek is having a resurgent week having defeated the likes of Arthur Fils and most recently Jiri Lehecka. Shelton will be the toughest test yet with the 2023 semi-finalist having some nice words towards his rival.

"I've been watching his matches," he stated. "I think he's playing beautifully. His game style is incredibly effective on all surfaces; he's a complete player and an exceptional athlete. We played once during my first year on tour. I'm really looking forward to facing him again."