By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, August 26, 2024
Picture credit score: Mubadala Citi DC Open
NEW YORK—Rush hour involves courtroom when Ben Shelton serves.
Final 12 months, Shelton rocketed document service blasts of 149 miles an hour on the US Open.
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Right now, Shelton slammed eight aces and solely confronted one break level in a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 sweep of 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem to achieve the US Open second spherical within the Austrian’s ultimate main match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
That is the primary 12 months the US Open is allowing fan motion all through its stadiums, enabling followers to enter the stadiums on the finish of video games relatively than throughout changeovers as was the earlier rule.
Fan motion prompted Zheng Qinwen and Amanda Anisimova to pause a few occasions for followers to settle throughout their match on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Shelton, who performed faculty tennis at Florida, stated he is accustomed to the movement and isn’t bothered by fan motion.
“I observed it, however as soon as the purpose begins, I do not discover it,” Shelton instructed the media. “I assume with faculty tennis I’ve performed, you realize, this UTS Tour, as effectively, there’s loads of conditions the place I have been in that is quite a bit crazier than a few folks strolling with drinks again to their seat, Honey Deuces.”
The 2023 US Open semifinalist predicts some gamers will probably be bothered by fan motion this week, however says he is not fazed by followers coming and going.
“I do not actually thoughts it,” Shelton stated. “I am positive some gamers will probably be irritated with it this week and possibly cease taking part in or maintain up so long as they will.
“Yeah, I do not actually care.”
US Open Match Director Stacey Allaster calls the change “an vital addition to the fan expertise.”
“We have at all times had free motion within the higher stands of Arthur Ashe, our stadiums, within the outer courts,” Allaster stated. “2024 we are going to introduce managed motion in all of our stadiums. Every stadium is totally different. What we are going to implement is that followers will probably be allowed to maneuver in between video games versus prior to now in between changeovers.
“That will probably be new. Will probably be new for everybody. We’ll discover our means by way of it. However we expect this is a vital addition to the fan expertise on the US Open.”