Ben Shelton won his first ATP Tour title on Sunday, defeating Russian Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-1 at the Japan Open in Tokyo.
The 21-year-old Shelton needed just 84 minutes to dispatch Karatsev at the ATP 500 event. Shelton will reach a career-high No. 15 when the new rankings are released Monday.
He is the sixth player to win his first ATP title this season. Along the way, the left-handed Shelton hit 18 winners, won 80 percent of the points on his first serve and converted four of six break chances.
Shelton moved to 2-0 against Karatsev in head-to-head meetings. He is 14-2 in his past 16 matches overall and reached the quarterfinals last week in Shanghai.
European Open
Third-seeded Alexander Bublik captured his third career title with a 6-4, 6-4 win over fourth-seeded Arthur Fils of France in the final in Antwerp, Belgium.
Bublik recorded 28 winners and saved all three break points he faced to topple the 19-year-old Fils, who was the youngest finalist in the history of the tournament.
Bublik, a 26-year-old Kazakhstan native, fired 11 aces and won 36 of 37 first-serve points to end the match in 75 minutes.
BNP Paribas Nordic Open
Gael Monfils of France secured his 12th ATP title after rallying to a 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3 win over Russian qualifier Pavel Kotov in the final in Stockholm.
Monfils, 37, fired seven aces en route to becoming the oldest champion in the history of the tournament after dispatching Kotov in two hours and 37 minutes. Monfils also won this event in 2021.
Kotov converted 68 percent of first serves but had seven double faults.
–Field Level Media
