Ben Shelton accidentally hit himself in the head with the racket during the final set of his Shanghai Masters quarterfinal match against Sebastian Korda. In the eighth game of the third set, Shelton hit the ball and his racket frame made contact with his head. Shelton immediately grabbed his head and it was evident that he was in pain. The chair umpire asked Shelton if he needed a medical intervention but the 21-year-old American declined it. Shelton was able to finish the match but with a visible lump on his head.
Friendly fire š¬
Glad to see you’re still smiling, @BenShelton š #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/MBSelowAgw
ā Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 12, 2023
Shelton hits himself in the head, then loses a thriller to Korda
After hitting himself in the head with the racket, Shelton was able to continue and finish the match but Korda escaped with a 6-7 (10) 6-2 7-6 (6). In the first set, Shelton claimed the first break in the 11th game for a 6-5 lead but then failed to serve out for the first set in the following game and that’s how the opener went into a tie-break. In the first-set tie-break, Shelton saved a set point before converting his own fifth set point to win a very tight opener. After losing the first set, Korda started the second set with back-to-back breaks and a 3-0 lead before serving out for the set in the eighth game. After winning the second set, Korda also started the third set by breaking Shelton in the first game. In the seventh game of the third set, Shelton was 0-30 up on Korda’s serve when he accidentally hit himself with the racket. In that same game, Shelton was able to break back Korda and tie the third set to four games apiece. In the following game, Shelton saved two consecutive break points – and as no more breaks were seen – the third set winner had to be resolved in another tie-break. In the third-set tie-break, Korda had a 6-1 lead and five consecutive match points – Shelton saved all five of them. Just when it seemed Shelton would make a stunning comeback in the tie-break, Korda won the next two points to complete a three-set win.