Ben Shelton took out a chunk of the electronic advertising board at the Madrid Open during his clash with Jakub Mensik. The big-serving American star went down 6-1 6-4 to the recent Miami Open champion after a delay in proceedings during the second set.
Shelton, up 40-30 in the fourth game, faulted on his serve and the ball ended up hitting the board that had been displaying adverts behind Mensik. Play was momentarily stopped as it emerged that the small individual panel that Shelton hit had been damaged, displaying a black screen rather than the advertisement.
“The board has taken a bit of a hammering there,” Sky Sports commentator Nick Lester said. The panel had fallen out of the board, such as the power it was struck by, before an official came out to put it back into place.
Play soon resumed but Shelton, the world No. 13, had little joy and succumbed to defeat against Mensik. The Czech teenager is enjoying a breakthrough campaign, having beaten Novak Djokovic in the Miami Open final last month.
The board was not the only one to suffer issues in Madrid, with Shelton calling for the doctor in an error-laden opening set. He was able to continue, improving his form in the second, but ultimately could not compete with another heavy-hitting server in Mensik.
“Today was a good day in the office on my return,” the 19-year-old said after booking his place in the fourth round. “I know Ben can serve much better, but in this high altitude, it’s always tough to break him.
“I knew that he was not feeling very well, me neither. But I still tried to reach my best level and that was the key. I’m glad I came out with the win.”
Mensik dropped just two of 28 points behind his first delivery and will next face Alexander Bublik in the last 16. While Shelton should be sticking around in the Spanish capital as he is due to play doubles with Rohan Bopanna.
Mensik is on an eight-match winning run at ATP Masters 1000s, having claimed his first title on tour in Miami. He could crack the top 20 this week with a positive run and will be buoyed by his 67-minute win over Shelton, improving to 6-1 against top 20 players this year.
“I enjoyed it a lot with my family, my friends, my close ones,” said Mensik of his upset in Miami against Djokovic. “But it’s just one tournament. I’m trying to improve myself every week, the journey is still long and my goals are even further.”