Shelton claims intense opening round victory defeating Zapata Miralles and prepares for Alcaraz Battle

Ben Shelton defeated Bernabe Zapata Miralles by 7-6(1), 6-4 in the first round of the National Bank Open (Canadian Open) in Toronto and sets up a match with Alcaraz.

The young star arrived at the Canadian Open after a disappointing run at the Atlanta Open and DC Open, as he fell in both tournaments' first rounds against the 18-year-old Chinese player Shang Juncheng.

Ben Shelton is making his debut at the Masters 1000 Canadian Open, and he faced Spanish player Bernabé Zapata Miralles in his first match, with no previous encounters between them.

Zapata Miralles participated in a few European tournaments after Wimbledon, reaching the final at the Iasi Challenger in Romania (lost to Hugo Gaston). He also had a second-round exit in Bastad and a first-round exit at the Hamburg Open, where he had a thrilling match against Andrey Rublev that ended in a third-set tie-break

The first three games saw breaks of serve, two of them from the Spanish player who took the lead and had the chance to serve for the first set at 5-4. A poor service game allowed Shelton to break back and get back into the match, extending the set to a tie-break.

With a frustrated Zapata Miralles, who even received a warning for breaking a racket, Shelton claimed the set 7-6(1).

The second set began evenly, and Shelton secured the first break in the fifth game, but two turns later, he dropped his serve. With the score at 4-4, the Spanish player once again faltered on his service and allowed his opponent to ultimately defeat him 6-4.

This marks Ben Shelton's first hardcourt victory since March at Indian Wells. The American had a record of 1-6 on hardcourts since his appearance at the Australian Open, but now he manages to advance to the second round.

In the second round, he will face a tough challenge as he takes on the world No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz, who received a bye in the first round, advancing directly. This marks Alcaraz's first tournament since clinching the Wimbledon title, and he is now embarking on the journey towards defending his US Open title.