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Ben Shelton Will Face Jannik Sinner in Wimbledon 4th Round

Ben Shelton defeated Denis Shapovalov to advance to the fourth round of Wimbledon.

Pat Benson

Ben Shelton has advanced to the fourth round of Wimbledon.
Ben Shelton has advanced to the fourth round of Wimbledon. / Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

At 21 years old, Ben Shelton is part of the vanguard of new tennis stars. On Saturday, Shelton defeated Denis Shapovalov in the third round of Wimbledon.

Yet again, Shelton won another match in five sets 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. It was his third consecutive match to go to five sets.

After the match, Shelton shared a special moment with his father, Bryan, who advanced to the fourth round of Wimbledon exactly 30 years ago. The son shouted out to his father, "We're back, big dog."

This is a full-circle moment for the Shelton family, as Ben has now advanced to the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time. He will face World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

They have played three times before, with Sinner leading the series 2-1. However, Shelton and Sinner have never faced each other on grass. When asked about his upcoming fourth round matchup, Shelton ended on a positive note.

"I'm happy with where I've gotten so far, but definitely not satisfied. The pinnacle of tennis is playing the World No. 1 at Wimbledon, probably on Centre court. So I'm very excited and ready to get after it. See you guys tomorrow, and let's get it again. Come on!"

Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

Further Reading: Taylor Fritz explained his beef with Arthur Rinderknech in an interview on the Tennis Channel.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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