Grigor Dimitrov downs rising star Shelton in Monte-Carlo

Tuesday, 11 April 2023 at 13:28

Grigor Dimitrov looked overwhelmed at times against Ben Shelton at the Monte-Carlo Masters but ultimately the Bulgarian was able to win the match 6-1 3-6 6-3.

Ben Shelton brought his powerful game to Monte-Carlo in a match against Grigor Dimitrov. The early goings of the match went largely in favour of Dimitrov who smashed the American 6-1. It was just an amazing level from the long-time Monaco resident who knows these courts very well. Dimitrov played exceptionally here last year so this was largely unsurprising.

The second set was quite interesting as well because Dimitrov played really well but Shelton matched it. One major issue for Dimitrov was his serve as he really couldn't hit it at all. Only 48 % gave Shelton more than enough chances and he took them to win the set 6-3. The second set saw the best serving performance from Shelton in the entire match yet it wasn't enough.

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He wasn't quite as sharp from the baseline as he was in the opening set and that cost him. Dimitrov remained pretty solid overall and his serve working a bit better was the push he needed. An impressive 39 winners in this one from Dimitrov, far more than Shelton who had only 22 winners in the match.

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It's that time of year for Dimi 🧡 2018 & 2022 semi-finalist @GrigorDimitrov starts off his Monte Carlo campaign with a 6-1 3-6 6-3 win vs Shelton! #RolexMonteCarloMasters