First shock in Monte-Carlo: Ben Shelton knocked out in the first round against Davidovich Fokina

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina stunned World No. 14 Ben Shelton in the first big upset of the Monte-Carlo Masters. Staying true to the Spanish clay-court style, the World No. 42 thrived on the slow surface and outlasted the American in a three-set battle: 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-1.

While clay isn't Shelton’s preferred surface, the 22-year-old had won a title last year at the U.S. Clay Court Championships and was hoping to build on that this season. A quick exit for the young American, who will now travel to Munich for his next tournament.

It was a first set that quickly tilted in favour of the Spaniard, after he capitalised on his first break opportunity to go up 3-1. When Davidovich Fokina led 4-2, he managed to come through a 0-40 situation, just as Shelton was determined to recover the break. The Spaniard wasn’t winning too many points behind his first serve, but he still managed to stay in front.

Davidovich was up 5-4 and serving for the set, but Shelton broke back to level things. These were the most erratic stages of the match, with both players exchanging breaks and taking it all the way to a tie-break, where Shelton was more effective, winning seven consecutive points to claim the set 7-6(2). Unforced errors were abundant — 15 from Davidovich Fokina and 16 from Shelton. Nevertheless, the American’s aggressive approach paid off in terms of winners, hitting 10 to Davidovich’s 4.

Shelton started strong, breaking immediately and taking a 2-0 lead, placing himself in an ideal position to go for the win. However, Davidovich responded, staying patient during long rallies and winning several points from the baseline, capitalising on his opponent’s increasing errors.

The 26-year-old Spaniard not only recovered the break but overwhelmed an erratic Shelton. The American committed 17 unforced errors in the set, compared to just 9 from Davidovich, a clear sign he was being outplayed by the Spaniard’s physical consistency, who kept returning everything.

Davidovich won 60% of the total points in the set and put together a streak of six straight games, dominating on serve and converting three of five break points to close the set 6-2.

Davidovich had definitively taken the momentum of the match, and it became increasingly clear that Shelton needed to win short points, racking up more unforced errors and fewer winners as the set went on. The Spaniard kept his nerves under control, and his experience on the surface was evident as he stuck to his game plan of engaging in long rallies against a Shelton who never truly looked comfortable on court.

An early break gave Davidovich a 2-0 lead, though the American quickly broke back at his first opportunity, restoring hope of a comeback. However, those hopes lasted only a few minutes, as Davidovich regained control and went on to win the next four games in a row, sealing the victory 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-1.

The Spaniard won 12 of the last 13 games and secured six consecutive breaks against an erratic Shelton, who will need to improve his serve if he wants strong results during the clay swing. Davidovich Fokina moves on and will face the winner of the match between Tomás Martín Etcheverry and Corentin Moutet, two players with strong clay-court credentials.