(VIDEO) "It's tennis, not baseball" - Ben Shelton engages in war of words in Monte-Carlo doubles altercation

American tennis star Ben Shelton is not known for his doubles prowess, but opted to compete in the doubles event at the ongoing Monte-Carlo Masters. The youngster teamed with doubles veteran Rohan Bopanna, but found himself involved in a verbal spat following their round of 16 match on Wednesday.

Shelton and Bopanna faced the third-seeded team of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, after the Italian duo had received an opening round bye. This was the first time Shelton was partnering up with Bopanna, with the Indian being a former doubles champion in Monte-Carlo, when he won the 2017 trophy alongside Pablo Cuevas.

The Italian team claimed the first set 6-2, and took a commanding 4-1 lead in the second. However, Shelton and Bopanna fought back, extending the set to a tiebreaker in which they prevailed.

The final ten-point tiebreaker to determine the winner saw the Indo-American team race to a 4-0 lead, before the Italians leveled the score at 6-6. Nonetheless, Shelton and Bopanna maintained their composure and escaped with a 10-7 victory.

As both teams approached the net for the customary handshake, Vavassori could be seen complaining to Shelton that the American had hit him during one of the rallies in the first set. Shelton responded by lifting his shirt to show marks where he also had been hit during the match, claiming it was a regular occurrence in tennis, as opposed to other sports like baseball.

"It's tennis.. not baseball..So soft, so soft..Vamos," said Shelton before walking off to celebrate his victory.