TENNIS: Shelton overcomes Humbert in battle of lefthanders at Australian Open

MELBOURNE — American eighth seed Ben Shelton defeated France’s Ugo Humbert 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(5) in a gripping left-handed duel at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, advancing to the second round of the Australian Open.

Shelton, who reached last year’s semifinals before losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner, relied on his powerful serve and aggressive play to dominate the first set. Humbert, however, fought back strongly in the second set, recovering from a two-break deficit twice to force a tiebreak.

In the tiebreak, Shelton regained control as Humbert’s sharp returns began to falter, leading to a series of errors from the Frenchman.

The third set remained tight throughout, with both players holding serve. Humbert briefly surged ahead 3-0 in the tiebreak, but Shelton mounted a comeback and ultimately secured the victory to book his place in the second round.

-Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters