Watch: Carlos Alcaraz gets surprised as Ben Shelton pulls off sensational returns

Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz achieved an impressive victory over American player Ben Shelton on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York during the 'Garden Cup', a yearly event that revitalized tennis at this iconic venue. This marks the first time since 2018 that Madison Square Garden hosted a tennis fixture.

In a thrilling match, Alcaraz, currently ranked third in the ATP standings and a four-time Grand Slam champion, emerged victorious against local favorite Shelton with a score of 4-6, 6-2, 7-4. Despite a challenging start where he found himself down 4-1 in the first set, Alcaraz showed remarkable resilience and fought back to equalize at 4-4. Unfortunately, Shelton managed to break his serve, ultimately securing the first set. Alcaraz levelled the match by winning the second set 6-2 before sealing the victory in the tiebreak 7-4.

The Tale of an astonishing rally between two young tennis stars

During the fixture, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton participated in a gruelling rally that surprised both the players. Carlos Alcaraz started the rally with a powerful serve towards Ben's forehand. As the rally progressed, Carlos Alcaraz, using his powerful forehand, pushed Shelton across the baseline on both ends of the court. The American had to split and stretch to his maximum limits to return the balls. In the process, Ben made an amazing return using his backhand, which even surprised Carlos, who eventually won the final point. 

Difficulty level: HARD 😮‍💨@carlosalcaraz | #thegardencuppic.twitter.com/e2PChk0711

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) December 5, 2024

Following the conclusion of the fixture, the American Tennis star Ben Shelton praised Carlos Alcaraz and his unique ways of playing the sport.

“Favorite player to share the court with because of how creative he is and the style he plays. Every time we play, you hear the crowd go crazy on both sides (…). It’s one of the games I enjoy the most,” added Ben Shelton.