Hilarious scenes at Citi Open as Ben Shelton deliberately squirms in pain after Juncheng Shang kicks ball straight at him after losing a point

Spectators watching the Citi Open match between Ben Shelton and Juncheng Shang enjoyed a chuckle when the former deliberately halted his movement to get hit by a ball kicked by Shang in frustration.

Shelton and Shang locked horns in the opening round of the ATP 500 event in Washington on Tuesday. The young Chinese defeated Shelton 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to advance to the second round.

Shang produced a dominant display to take the opening set easily, with the 18-year-old winning 12 out of 14 points on his first serve. Shelton, on the other hand, failed to control his serves and movements as he committed two double faults.

Although the American struck back immediately in the next set, hitting 10 winners, Shang proved too good for the 14th seed in the final set. The rising Chinese star used the net brilliantly against Shelton, who committed four unforced errors that eventually proved to be one too many.

However, the moment that stood out for the fans in the stands was when Shang kicked the ball in the air after conceding a point in the second set. During a rally, Shang failed to keep one of his shots inside the bounds but the American still returned it with a forehand.

Shang kicked the ball in the air after the umpire's call, and it went straight towards Shelton, who stopped to get hit and later pretended to be hurt.

The video of the incident was shared by Tennis TV.

"Nothing to see here," the caption read.

After the win, Shang talked to the ATP about his playing style.

"I'm definitely very happy right now. Ben is not an easy player to beat. I think I've got a game that kind of suits me to playing him," he said.

The Chinese teenager further stated that his ability to return was the key to beating Ben Shelton on the day.

"I've got a great return I think and in the past two weeks, I've been returning really well. So I think that was the key today, to break a few service games from him," he added.

Ben Shelton's Wimbledon performance contrary to his father's beliefs

Ben Shelton in action: Wimbledon 2023.

Ben Shelton failed to keep up with his father's expectations and bowed out of this year's Wimbledon in the second round. The 32nd seed American lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(5), 3-6 to unseeded Laslo Djere from Serbia.

Shelton's father and coach Bryan set a high standard for the 20-year-old when he talked about Pete Sampras' initial days on the grass and backed his son's ability to do wonders at Wimbledon.

"I remember Pete Sampras the first time he came over, it took him a little bit to get used to but once he did, his game was perfect for this court and I think Ben has something that he'll bring to this surface that'll make him really really effective," Bryan stated.