Rinderknech, Lucky Loser, Defeats Shelton in Queen’s First Round
One of the standout performances of the day at the ATP 500 Queen’s tournament came from Arthur Rinderknech. The Frenchman, who lost in the final round of qualifying to Corentin Moutet, was given a second chance after a wave of withdrawals in the main draw.
The world No. 80 made the most of his opportunity, even though he faced Ben Shelton, the world No. 10. In a match where servers dominated returners, Rinderknech was rock-solid on his service games, not conceding a single break point.
Shelton, a semifinalist in Stuttgart last week (before losing in two tie-breaks to Zverev), carried his momentum to London and was equally dominant on his own serve.
Much like his match in Germany against the world No. 3, the American left-hander found himself in a battle decided solely by tie-breaks. Rinderknech, who fired 36 winners and committed 16 unforced errors, proved stronger in the crucial moments and clinched the victory (7-6, 7-6).
For the second consecutive match, Shelton fell by the same scoreline and will not feature in the London round of 16. Meanwhile, Rinderknech secured the first top-10 win of his career and continues his run.
He will face another big-serving American, Reilly Opelka, for a spot in the quarterfinals. Opelka earlier defeated Camilo Ugo Carabelli (7-6, 6-4).
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