Is America’s rising star Ben Shelton secretly allergic to grass? Bettors are pulling their hair out faster than you can say “double fault”!
In a shocker that’ll go down in the annals of “Did That Really Happen?” history, our boy Ben Shelton got LAWN-MOWED by Britain’s Paul Jubb at the Mallorca Championships on June 28th.
Shelton, the world No. 14, came in hotter than a Fourth of July barbecue after absolutely DEMOLISHING Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-0. Meanwhile, Jubb was busy swatting away qualifiers like pesky flies, leaving Maximilian Marterer and Adam Walton wondering what hit ’em.
The odds? Please! At 1.3 vs 3, bookies were practically BEGGING people to bet on Shelton. I mean, the guy’s serve is so lethal it should come with a warning label!
But hold onto your overpriced stadium hot dogs, folks, ’cause this match was crazier than a cat on catnip! Shelton dodged more bullets than a tennis-playing James Bond, saving THREE match points before forcing a tie-break. But Jubb? This madlad laughed in the face of danger, brushing off Shelton’s own match point like lint on his pristine whites.
After a nail-biting 2 hours and 44 minutes – longer than most people’s relationships these days – Jubb finally clinched it when Shelton’s forehand went more wayward than a drunk penguin. Talk about a Top 20 scalp!
Embed from Getty ImagesNow, here’s the kicker that’ll make stat nerds lose their marbles: while Shelton’s overall win rate is a tasty 59%, his grass court record is about as impressive as a wet noodle at 33%. Ouch! Looks like our clay court hero might need some lawn care lessons!
But fear not, Shelton fans! Our boy wonder is set to take on Mattia Bellucci at Wimbledon on July 1st. Will he bounce back faster than a rubber ball, or will the grass gremlins strike again? Tune in for the next episode of “As the Tennis Ball Bounces”!
Remember, folks: in tennis, as in life, it ain’t over ’til the last ball drops… or until someone has a meltdown and smashes their racket. Whichever comes first!