Ignacio Buse made his Grand Slam main draw debut at the US Open, where he faced off against American powerhouse Ben Shelton.
Buse, who recently won his second ATP Challenger title in three months, faced Shelton in the US Open main draw after winning three qualification rounds.
Shelton proved to be too good for 21-year-old Buse, winning 6-3 6-2 6-4 under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Buse, ranked 112 on the ATP Tour, discussed his match against Shelton in a recent interview, identifying the element of the American’s game that surprised him.
Ignacio Buse was surprised by Ben Shelton’s level of play
The Peruvian star, who recently won the LXII Copa Sevilla ATP Challenger title, noted the lack of opportunities Shelton provided during their US Open clash.
Speaking to Punto de Break, Buse said: “I thought I was going to be more nervous than I was; I tried to treat it like any other match. It was an incredible experience.
“I thought I would be more nervous than I was; I tried to approach it as just another match.
“It was an incredible experience. Ben’s level surprised me: I had heard that at times he could give you opportunities… but no. I thought I would have more chances, but he’s playing at a high level.
The 21-year-old also noted his admiration for one particular area of Shelton’s game: his serve.
The Peruvian added: “I was particularly impressed by his serving ability.
“It wasn’t the speed that impressed me, but rather his ability to handle different effects on each serve.
“He has all types of serves: flat, slice… each serve comes so differently that it’s very challenging to adjust. That’s what unsettled me the most.”
Breaking down Ben Shelton’s performance against Ignacio Buse
Ben Shelton played at his usual high standard against the young Peruvian star.
The American demonstrated excellent efficiency on his first serve, winning 78 per cent of those points, while also landing five aces.
Shelton also put significant pressure on the Buse serve, engineering 13 break-point opportunities. While Buse did an excellent job of saving those break-points – winning nine – Shelton’s four breaks of serve proved to be the difference maker.
Meanwhile, Shelton was not broken a single time, saving all five of Buse’s break-point opportunities.
