“That was one I wanted really bad. For me I won the first set in the first two matches and ended up going down a break in the second, losing the second, and ultimately losing in three sets,” Shelton said in an on-court interview, according to ATP Tour. “So for me I wanted to fight back there, complete it in two and get off the court.

“It’s never easy going into a match being 0-2 against somebody,” he added. “Like I said in Australia, you go 0-3 and they become your daddy, so I was fighting again for that not to happen and happy with the performance tonight.”

Shelton will next be competing against Belgian tennis player David Goffin. After his victory, the 22-year-old had a message of support for the crowd.

“Siempre contigo Acapulco,” he said on the court, which translates to “Always with you Acapulco.”

The phrase was used as a symbol of resilience during last year’s Mexican Open. The city of Acapulco was then recovering from Hurricane Otis.

“The city is still rebuilding, and the tournament’s presence has been instrumental in supporting the local economy and tourism,” ATP Tour noted on X, formerly Twitter.

Shelton was recently recruited to join Team World at the Laver Cup, which will be held in San Francisco from Sept. 19-21.

“Laver Cup brings out the best in players – it’s high stakes, high intensity and full of drama,” Andre Agassi, the Team World captain and an eight-time Grand Slam champion, said in a press release. “Ben is an explosive talent and thrives in this team environment. He’s had a strong start to the season, and I’m focused on building a team that will be ready to take on Europe in September!”

Shelton expressed his excitement about his participation in the tournament.

“Nothing compares to Laver Cup,” he said via the same press release. “It’s electric. The team format, the excitement, the fans – it’s next level. I’m really excited to be playing my third Laver Cup and first in front of an American crowd, I think it’ll be a pretty cool atmosphere in San Francisco and we are pumped and super motivated to win back the Laver Cup!”