“Not the smartest thing to say to an American in New York City”: Ben Shelton stands tall for Taylor Townsend amid US Open handshake drama

America’s Ben Shelton has expressed his opinion about the controversial moment involving two women’s players at the US Open. In the second round contest between America’s Taylor Townsend and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, there was a controversial moment that occurred towards the end of the match.

Townsend came out on top in the match in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-1. At the time of the handshake, both players were engaged in a heated argument. It is unclear what was said at the time, but according to media reports, Ostapenko ended up saying, “No education, no class.” It is unclear what prompted Ostapenko to issue a statement like that.

Shelton is also taking part in the ongoing US Open, where he cemented his spot in the third round after beating Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. While speaking to the media after the match, Shelton was asked about the incident involving his mixed doubles partner Townsend and Ostapenko. In response to that, Shelton supported Townsend and stated that it was a ‘crazy’ statement from Ostapenko, something no one should do to an American player while playing on their home soil.

“Yeah, that speaks for itself, right? Crazy, crazy statement,” said Shelton. “Yeah, I didn't completely hear or understand everything that happened. Yeah, some, I guess some shocking comments towards her. Not the smartest thing to say to an American in New York City, but she handled her business. I was going to back Taylor. I don't know exactly what happened during the match, but just happy for her that she's, you know, making a run and in the singles draw, we didn't do what we wanted to do in the mix. So she's definitely making up for it. And like she said, after the match, she spoke with a racket and yeah, just happy to see her winning.”

Shelton then discussed his own performance on the day, where he produced a nearly flawless performance against Busta. Talking about that, Shelton stated that he thought he ‘played well’. Shelton also highlighted that he will be looking to improve his service after claiming that he did not ‘serve perfectly’.

“Yeah, I thought I played well,” said Shelton about his performance. “I didn't serve perfectly. I wasn't completely dialed on all my spots, but I thought I returned really well. I was tough. In the moments where I got broken, I think I broke back every time. So yeah, overall happy with the performance. Yeah. I think creating a lot more chances to break just with the way that I'm returning and how comfortable I am deeper in rallies, it makes it easier. You don't have to be perfect with the high end ultra aggressive tennis, which at the end of the day, later in the tournament is what I'll need more of it. But I feel like my base level has improved and my lockdown mode has gotten a lot better and I'm able to go there when I need to. And that's where a lot of my breaks do come from. So I think not having to play flashy tennis all the time has kind of helped me. Maybe it's made it a little bit more boring for the crowd, but got me off the court quicker and more efficiently, for sure.”

Shelton is on his way to face Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal of the competition. Shelton does not have a great record while facing the world number two in previous three meetings where he lost on every occasion. Their most recent meeting came in the fourth round of the French Open where Alcaraz came out on top with a score of 7-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Shelton is now set to face off against France’s Adrian Mannarino in the third round. The 37-year-old defeated Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the second round with a score of 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3. Shelton was asked about his views on his potential quarterfinal fixture against Alcaraz. In response, Shelton stated that he is only focused on his next opponent. He also admitted that Alcaraz can entertain the crowd and engage them in a manner which makes him the crowd favourite.

“Yeah, I don't look forward in the draw at all,” said Shelton. “So, I mean, I'm kind of locked in on whoever I'm playing next. I think that he's [Alcaraz], you know, probably the most exciting thing in tennis right now. The way he plays, the way he interacts with the crowd, he lights up the court, you know, his smile is, he's enjoying himself out there. When he's having fun, he's, you know, so dangerous from any position in the court. Unpredictable, and yeah, a lot of fun to watch him, a hundred percent, and I'm a hundred percent sure that the fans here in NYC are loving it.”