"I was cooked out there" - Ben Shelton gets honest about 'shock to the system' at Cincinnati Open after rain-marred 3R win

Ben Shelton's third-round win at the ongoing 2025 Cincinnati Open turned out to a rain-marred affair. In the aftermath of his victory, he laid bare how the rain delays, combined with the harsh conditions in Cincinnati, left him struggling physically.

Shelton's third-round match against Roberto Bautista Agut at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the prestigious hardcourt event was originally scheduled to take place on the night of Tuesday, August 12. However, a downpour in Cincinnati led to the match being postponed to Wednesday afternoon. Once again, rain delayed proceedings, but the No. 5 seed held firm to win 7-6(3), 6-3.

Following the result, Ben Shelton spoke up about his inability to handle the postponement well. According to the ATP No. 6, he found it tough to sleep and get up on time the next day to be ready for the match.

"I don’t think I did a great job (handling the match postponement last night). We were here late last night and I wasn’t able to wind down and get to sleep right away. It was tough to get up this morning and be ready for a 1 o’clock match. It was a tough day at the office for sure," Shelton said.

Later, during a chat with Tennis Channel's Prakash Amritraj, the 22-year-old talked about playing in Cincinnati's intense heat and humidity, saying:

"I was a little cooked out there, kind of a shock to the system with the heat and the sun, but once I came back from the rain delay and kind of wrapped my head around it a little bit better, I felt really good. I played my best tennis at the end of that match and feeling confident now."

Ben Shelton to face Jiri Lehecka next for a place in Cincinnati Open QFs

Jiri Lehecka at the 2025 Cincinnati Open (Source: Getty)

Jiri Lehecka is Ben Shelton's fourth-round opponent at the 2025 Cincinnati Open. The Czech, the No. 22 seed at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, is widely regarded for his strong serve and powerful groundstrokes, and he reached the fourth round in Cincinnati with wins over Tristan Boyer and Adam Walton.

Shelton and Lehecka have clashed only once before on the ATP Tour, and that particular encounter took place earlier this year in the quarterfinals of the Boss Open in Stuttgart. Here, the American registered a 6-4, 6-4 win.

On paper, Ben Shelton is the favorite to win his match against Lehecka in Cincinnati. The 22-year-old is on an eight-match winning streak, which recently saw him become a Masters 1000 champion for the first time with his heroics at the National Bank Open in Toronto.