Ben Shelton is an absolute star and American tennis is lucky to have him
Ben Shelton just played his best match yet, but he'll need more for Djokovic
This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Mike Sykes.
Ben Shelton has arrived, folks. And he wants you to know it, too. A star has been born.
He’s loud. He’s brash. He’s plucky. He’s confident, but also a bit cocky. He’s got tons of energy and celebrations to go along with that. But he’s got a monster serve that regularly tops 140 mph to back all of that up.
On Tuesday, I told you all the men’s side of American tennis finally had a chance to finally make some noise after 20 years. Shelton did just that in his primetime matchup against No. 10 ranked Frances Tiafoe.
It was an absolute gem of a match that included one of the wildest third sets I’ve seen in years. The two took turns breaking each other’s serves and gave us an absolute epic of a tiebreaker that looked like it was going to go Tiafoe’s way.
Until Shelton did this.
Ben Shelton hit 2 consecutive double faults when he had set point against Frances Tiafoe.
Set point down against Frances, he comes up with this.
In his first ever US Open quarterfinal, Big Ben is making this a show.
pic.twitter.com/aYXemfnQgV
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 6, 2023
Granted, that’s not the greatest serve from Tiafoe. But that’s still an incredibly impressive return from Shelton. He just kept painting the corners of the court with that big lefty forehand of his. Those aren’t shots people are supposed to be able to hit — Tiafoe said it himself. Yet, here Shelton is. Crushing them. On the biggest stage of his young career.
This is it, y’all. Shelton could be that guy. He’s the youngest American player on the men’s side to reach the semifinals of the US Open since 1992. That’s 31 years, y’all. That’s history.
This time last year he’d just made the jump to turning pro after a 65-10 stint through two years of tennis at the University of Florida. Now, he’s headed to the US Open semifinals to play Novak Djokovic — the only person left standing in the way of him making his very first Grand Slam final debut.
Have yourself a game, Ben Shelton.
The MVP race in the WNBA is WILD
Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
We’ve seen some pretty tight MVP races across sports in recent years, but what we’re seeing right now between Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson and Alyssa Thomas is getting pretty ridiculous.
It’s like the three of them are making history every single time they touch the court at this point and it’s the final week of the WNBA season. Just last night, two of the three did something we’ve never seen before.
- Alyssa Thomas finished notched her sixth triple-double of the season, which is already a record. But she also had 27 points, 12 rebounds, 14 assists and six steals, which has also never been done before.
- Breanna Stewart just casually broke the record for most points in a season (885) after notching her fourth 40-point game this year, which is the most in a season.
A’ja Wilson didn’t play last night, but if she did I’m absolutely certain she would’ve dropped 60 points or something crazy. Just for good measure.
There’s not a wrong pick between this trio. Maybe it comes down to the team record for you. Is the MVP the best player on the best team? That would be A’ja Wilson. Maybe it’s the player who raises her team’s talent the most. I’d say that’d be Alyssa Thomas. Maybe it’s just the best player overall. Most would say that’s Breanna Stewart.
I don’t know who is going to win it between these three. All I can tell you is I’m glad I don’t have a vote.
Some Travis Hunter Heisman fodder
Travis Hunter is picking himself for the Heisman trophy and I can’t blame him. He’s absolutely right. FTW’s Prince Grimes has more from Hunter here.
“It was an Aug. 5 Instagram post, and alongside a photo of himself in full uniform, Hunter posted a caption that simply read, “HEISMAN LOADING…”
“He doubled-down a few weeks later, in the first episode of his live Bleacher Report show, 12 Talks, listing himself first in a ranking of Heisman candidates for the new season: “Both sides of the ball. I’m going for it all,” Hunter said. ‘Gots to. Sophomore year. Like I said on Instagram, Heisman loading. That’s my goal.’,”
Normally, it just feels a bit too brash to see someone picking themselves for the Heisman like this. Especially this early in the season. But after Hunter’s game? It sort of feels warranted. The dude was that good in week one for Colorado with his two-way dominance.
He had 11 receptions for 119 yards and an interception. That just doesn’t happen very often. Chris Gamble (2002) was the last player to have at least 20 receptions and three interceptions in a season.
But can he keep this up? Here’s a wild stat for you: Hunter played in 144 snaps on Saturday, per Pro Football Focus. He’s on pace for 1,728. That number just doesn’t seem sustainable.
If he somehow finds a way to push through, though, that Heisman is undoubtedly his. He’s absolutely right.
Quick Hits: Are we sure about this Sean Payton and Russell Wilson thing? … College football’s pettiest moments … and more
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
— Sean Payton used footage of a car driving off a cliff to describe Russell Wilson’s first season with the Broncos and all I can think about is how hilarious this is. Robert Zeglinski has more. They’re definitely going to bump heads in Denver, aren’t they?
— Cory Woodruff ranked the pettiest moments from college football in week one. Y’all know what number one is.
— Prince Grimes is saving your fantasy draft with five players to target after Travis Kelce’s injury.
— Chris Mortensen announced his retirement from ESPN on Tuesday. Happy trails, Mort! Get well soon.
That’s all, folks. Happy Wednesday! Be kind to one another. Let’s chat again tomorrow.