Jannik Sinner "turns the tables" on Ben Shelton in closely contested clash at Vienna Open

Jannik Sinner got his revenge against Ben Shelton in their closely contested first-round clash at the Vienna Open, winning the match 7-6 (2), 7-5.

The players met for the second time this month after they faced each other in the Round of 16 at the Shanghai Masters. The American emerged victorious there after a tight three-set battle, winning 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5). Shelton then went on to win his first ATP title at the Japan Open last week.

It was clear that the match would be close-knit from the start. Although Shelton's first service game went to a deuce, he was able to hold and the set continued on serve. At 5-5, Sinner found himself in trouble when Shelton got break point, but he was able to ace the 21-year-old for a deuce and ultimately held.

Eventually, a tiebreak was required to decide the opener, and Sinner was able to get the first proper lead of the match with a 5-0 lead. Shelton then fought back to take it to 5-2, but the Italian then built up four set points, one of which he successfully converted.

Shelton found himself in some trouble early on in the second set but still held to keep the set on serve. Sinner had two more opportunities to break his opponent as the set progressed, with Shelton's service games going to a deuce at 3-3 and 4-4, but he was unable to see them through.

However, at 5-5, Sinner managed to successfully secure a break and soon found himself serving for the set.

At this point, the 22-year-old amassed three match points and converted the second to progress to the next round, where he will face his compatriot, lucky loser Lorenzo Sonego.