SANTA PONCA/STARNBERG, June 26, 2024
Ben Shelton leads the quarterfinals line-up of the Mallorca Championships presented by waterdrop. The top seed of the ATP 250 grass-court event being held at the Mallorca Country Club in Santa Ponca, Calvia, defeated Rinky Hijikata of Australia 6-4, 6-0 in Wednesday’s second round.
Shelton hammered 13 aces and won 68 per cent of his first-service points. The World No. 14 from the United States broke his rival four times to succeed in one hour and seven minutes.
Quarter-Final Bound! 👏@BenShelton defeats Hijikata 6-4 6-0 to record a first grass-court win of 2024@MallorcaChamps #MallorcaChampionships pic.twitter.com/RVv1WpS1KT
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 26, 2024
“It was a really fun match today. I’m happy to be back in Mallorca. I love playing here,” Shelton said. “I had a really tough first match here last year, losing 7-6 in the third [to eventual champion Christopher Eubanks], so I’m really happy to get my first win here. I’m really pleased with how I played today. I’m getting used to [grass] day by day.”
Shelton will next take on Briton Paul Jubb, who emerged victorious from the encounter between two qualifiers, winning 6-0, 6-3 over Adam Walton from Australia in 55 minutes.
Tabilo, Mensik advance
In the bottom half of the draw, Alejandro Tabilo of Chile remained untroubled during his 6-3, 6-2 win over Alexander Shevechenko from Kazakhstan. The No. 4 seed saved all five break points he faced and capitalized on three of his own seven break-point chances to advance in one hour and nine minutes.
Up next for Tabilo will be Czech teenager Jakub Mensik, who rallied past Italian wild card entry Fabio Fognini 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. The 18-year-old Prostejov native secured victory in two hours and 40 minutes to reach his first quarterfinal on the ATP Tour.
Moving On! 😮💨@mensik_jakub_ moves into the quarter-finals in Mallorca with a 4-6 6-3 7-5 win over Fognini@MallorcaChamps #MallorcaChampionships pic.twitter.com/baoykdIKeL
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 26, 2024
“Crazy match from the beginning,” said World No. 85 Mensik. “The first 40 minutes, we played three games. I don’t know what happened, I didn’t experience this before. I’m really happy that I kept playing after the first set that I was 4-1 up and still lost. I’m really happy that I came back. Tough match. Fabio played really well. Difficult from the beginning.”
