PARIS — (AP) — Ben Shelton beat Lorenzo Sonego for the second straight time at a Grand Slam this year, winning 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 under floodlights to reach the second round of the French Open on Sunday.
The 13th-seeded American celebrated by eagerly waving his racket to the fans.
“I thought the crowd was great, it was my first time here on Court Philippe-Chatrier and it definitely won’t be one that I forget,” Shelton said at shortly after midnight, adding that he didn’t expect to sleep until “three or four” in the morning.
Shelton’s girlfriend, Trinity Rodman — who plays for the U.S. women’s soccer team and is the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman — and Shelton's father, Bryan Shelton, who is also his coach, applauded from the stands.
Shelton beat Sonego in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Sonego was going well this time, but Shelton broke to lead 2-1 in the fourth set and turned the match around.
Shelton took a medical timeout at the end of that set for treatment on his left ankle. He clinched victory with a sliced backhand that a full-stretch Sonego patted into the net.
Earlier Sunday, Lorenzo Musetti and Aryna Sabalenka eased into the second round without dropping a set.
The eighth-seeded Musetti won 7-5, 6-2, 6-0 against qualifier Yannick Hanfmann of Germany, after the top-ranked Sabalenka earlier beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1, 6-0.
Jasmine Paolini, last year's runner-up at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, had a tougher first-round match. The fourth-seeded Italian dropped serve five times in a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win against Yuan Yue on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Musetti has reached at least the semifinals in the past three Masters tournaments at Rome, Madrid and Monte Carlo, where he lost in the final to four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The 23-year-old Musetti reached the semifinals on grass at Wimbledon last year, but has not reached the quarterfinals at any other major.
Still, he believes he can win the French Open.
“I feel ready to try to go for the trophy,” Musetti said. “I think clay probably is the surface which I feel the most comfortable.”
After winning his match, Musetti got a huge ovation from the crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Was it because Musetti won Italy's first Olympic tennis medal in 100 years with the men's singles bronze at the Paris Games last year? Or perhaps because, as a 19-year-old, Musetti was once up by two sets against Novak Djokovic in the fourth round before losing a five-set thriller in 2021.
Unlikely.
For in all honesty much of the Chatrier crowd — dressed in clay-colored jerseys and packing the stands that were half-empty an hour earlier — were in such an enthusiastic mood because they were waiting for someone else to turn up.
Rafael Nadal.
The recently retired Nadal, who won 14 of his 22 major titles on the same court, was given a special trophy during an emotional ceremony where his old rivals — Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray — all turned up to bid the suit-wearing Nadal farewell.
Earlier, Sabalenka hit five aces and saved the two break points she faced against the unseeded Rakhimova.
Sabalenka is a three-time major champion and reached the semifinals at Roland-Garros two years ago.
Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen of China joined her in the second round by beating 2021 French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-3.
American players Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe both advanced to the second round.
The 12th-seeded Paul won 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 against Elmer Moller, an unseeded Danish player ranked 112th, while the 15th-seeded Tiafoe — a two-time U.S. Open semifinalist — beat Roman Safiullin 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
Earlier this month, Paul reached the semifinals of the Rome Masters without dropping a set and then took the first set off No. 1 Jannik Sinner before losing.
Three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek begins her bid for a fifth title at Roland-Garros when she faces Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia on Monday.
That match starts play at noon on Chatrier, followed by four-time major champion Naomi Osaka's match against 10th-seeded Spaniard Paula Badosa.
Sinner, a three-time major winner and semifinalist here last year, plays Arthur Rinderknech.
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