Shelton beats Gaston for maiden French Open win

American Ben Shelton, 21, clinched his first victory at the French Open on Monday, defeating Frenchman Hugo Gaston, 23, with scores of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Despite facing two rain delays and the fervent support for the local favorite, Shelton emerged victorious.

The atmosphere on Court 14 was electric with chants of "Hugo, Hugo" echoing through the crowd as Gaston took the first set. However, Shelton's powerful left-handed shots soon quieted the French fans as he secured the next three sets, converting six out of 14 break points to wrap up the match in two hours and 29 minutes.

Reflecting on the experience, Shelton remarked, "This was a pretty amazing atmosphere, honestly. It’s the first time I’ve played with a band in the stands, and it was special.

" He added, "I love these moments and these atmospheres. I got a lot of heckling in college tennis, but today, the crowd was just loud and supportive of their countryman. It's something you love to see, and there were a lot of positives out there."

Shelton, who made waves last year by reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and the semi-finals at the US Open, compared the atmosphere to an American football game.

He noted, "It's a big motivator when you hear chants and cheers when you make an unforced error. There was so much energy for me, which made it awesome."

While the crowd's reaction was mixed, with silence following his good shots and cheers for his mistakes, Shelton felt the energy was fairly balanced. "Obviously, Hugo had the home-field advantage, but I felt some love out there," he said.

Shelton's next opponent will be Kei Nishikori, who defeated Gabriel Diallo 7-5, 7-6(3), 3-6, 1-6, 7-5 in his first-round match.