US top seed Ben Shelton's preparation for the Australian Open was dealt a blow on Wednesday with an upset loss to Czech teen sensation Jakub Mensik at the Auckland Classic.
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Playing his first match in nearly two months, world number 21 Shelton was beaten 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 7-5 in the second round by the powerful Mensik.
A clash of two of the world's premier young players ended after more than two and a half hours when Shelton's serve was broken for the first time, in the 12th game of the third set.
The 22-year-old American, who received a bye through the first round, served strongly but couldn't match the consistency of his 19-year-old opponent's groundstrokes.
Age is just a number 🙌
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 8, 2025
19-year-old #NextGenATP star @mensik_jakub_ takes down No.1 seed Ben Shelton 7-6(2) 4-6 7-5 to reach his seventh quarter-final.@ASB_Classic | #ASBClassic25 pic.twitter.com/mSgUQ2DRMc
Left-hander Shelton will have little match play under his belt heading to the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne, having not previously played since representing the US in the Davis Cup nearly two months ago.
World number 49 Mensik faces a quarterfinal against the highest-ranked player remaining in Auckland, Portuguese seventh seed Nuno Borges.
The tournament's top four seeds all tumbled out in the second round.
Breathtaking 😮💨#ASBClassic25 @BenShelton pic.twitter.com/NRA8IpVteU
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 8, 2025
Second seed and defending champion Alejandro Tabilo of Chile was toppled in three sets by American qualifier Nishesh Basavareddy.
Argentine third and fourth seeds Sebastian Baez and Francisco Cerundolo were both eliminated in straight set defeats.