Video - Cobolli's great defensive point against Shelton in Acapulco
On Monday night, Ben Shelton booked his place in the last 16 of the ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco.
The American, ranked 14th in the world, overcame a tough Flavio Cobolli (7-6, 7-6) to join David Goffin in the next round.
The number 5 seed didn't have an easy match, but got the job done in the end. It was no picnic, especially as the Italian, ranked 39th on the ATP rankings, fought hard on every ball.
In the second set, Cobolli had managed to take his opponent's serve and served to confirm his break lead.
With the score at 2-0, 30-30 in the second set, Shelton gained the upper hand in the exchange and produced an attack that took him to the net.
Cobolli defended perfectly, not letting himself be fooled by the Australian Open semi-finalist's attempted counter-spin.
After a smash into Shelton's service box, Cobolli finally closed out the point with a backhand winner from the baseline that took his opponent by surprise (see video below). In the end, the Italian held his serve, but it wasn't enough to win the match.
Acapulco