By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, August 26, 2024
Photo: Mubadala Citi DC Open
NEW YORK—Rush hour comes to court when Ben Shelton serves.
Last year, Shelton hit record service blasts of 149 miles per hour at the US Open.
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Today, Shelton hit eight aces and faced just one break point in a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 sweep of the 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thim to reach the second round of the US Open in the Austrian’s final major at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
This is the first year that the US Open is allowing fan movement through its stadiums, allowing fans to enter the stadium at the end of matches rather than during shifts, as was the previous rule.
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Shelton, who played college tennis at Florida, said he’s used to the traffic and isn’t bothered by the fans’ movement.
“I noticed it, but once the point starts, I don’t notice it,” Shelton told the media. “I think with college tennis I’ve played, you know, even this UTS tournament, there’s a lot of situations I’ve been in that are a lot crazier than some people walking around with drinks in their seat, honey. Deuces.”
The 2023 US Open semi-finalist predicts some players will be disturbed by fan traffic this week, but says he is not bothered by fans coming and going.
“I don’t really mind,” Shelton said. “I’m sure some players will get fed up with him this week and maybe stop playing or stay as long as they can.
“Yeah, I don’t really care.”
US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster calls the change “an important addition to the fan experience.”
“We’ve always had free movement in the Arthur Ashe upper stands, our stadiums, the outfields,” Allaster said. “In 2024 we will introduce controlled movement in all our stadiums. Each stadium is different. What we will implement is that fans will be allowed to move between matches versus the past, between substitutions.
“It’s going to be new. It’s going to be new for everybody. We’re going to find our way through it. But we think it’s an important addition to the fan experience at the US Open.”
