(VIDEO) Ben Shelton's serve damages electronic board during Madrid Open defeat

America’s Ben Shelton smashed the electronic board during the Madrid Open defeat in the third round. The 22-year-old suffered a defeat in the round of 32 of the competition to the Czech Republic’s Jakub Menisk in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-4.

In the fourth game of the match, the American tennis star’s serve hit the electronic board. As a result, it ended up damaging the board. The incident, however, did not impact the performance of his opponent, who ended up sealing the match in just one hour and eight minutes.

The result was a major setback for Shelton, who arrived in the competition with big hopes, especially after his impressive run at the recently concluded Munich Open where he finished as the runner-up after losing to the reigning world number two Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-4.

On the other hand, the result was a major boost for Mensik, who had a disappointing outing in his previous outing at the Barcelona Open, where he lost to Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann with a score of 7-6, 4-6, 6-3. The 19-year-old was quoted in a report by ATP’s official website after the match, stating that he was glad to come out on top on a day when he was ‘not feeling very well.

“Today was a good day in the office on my return,” he said. “I know Ben can serve much better, but in this high altitude, it’s always tough to break him. I knew that he was not feeling very well, me neither… But I still tried to reach my best level and that was the key. I’m glad I came out with the win.”

Mensik will now face Alexander Bublik in the round of 16. The 27-year-old cemented his spot in the fourth round of the competition after beating the defending champion Russia’s Andrey Rublev with a score of 6-4, 0-6, 6-4.