Ben Shelton withdraws from Mexican Open in Acapulco

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Acapulco, Feb 21 (IANS) Ben Shelton will not compete at this year’s Mexican Open, with tournament organisers confirming that the American has opted to step aside in order to recover physically.

Ranked No. 9 in the ATP standings, Shelton has made three previous appearances in Acapulco. His deepest run came in 2024, when he advanced to the last eight before falling in a three-set battle to Casper Ruud. Event officials in Acapulco stated that Shelton has been dealing with quadriceps discomfort, prompting his withdrawal from the Mexican tournament.

The 23-year-old is coming off a title run in Dallas, where he saved three championship points to defeat Taylor Fritz and capture his first title of the season and fourth ATP Tour title.

Shelton has enjoyed a strong opening stretch to his 2026 campaign. He reached the quarter-finals in Auckland and again at the Australian Open before lifting the title in Dallas. He currently holds a 10-2 record on the season.

The American No. 1 roared back from a set down to earn a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory for his second ATP 500 trophy, saving all three championship points in a nervy 10th game of the decider.

With the one-hour, 51-minute victory, Shelton improved to 2-1 in his head-to-head series with Fritz. Since the beginning of 2025, Shelton is 11-4 in deciding-set matches, including nine wins from a set down, ATP reports.

“It feels amazing. I thank God, because I needed something super natural to end up winning this tournament with all the holes that I was in. I feel grateful to play five matches out here with these crowds. The energy was amazing,” said Shelton after the win.

“I had to fight until the last minute. Fritz was playing very good tennis and I was struggling a lot with what he was throwing at me. I tried to be a competitor through and through, and I ended up coming out on top. I think it’s a testament to the work me and my team put in,” he added.

–IANS

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Strong start with bat at top will be key to England’s Ashes hopes, says Ponting

London, Aug 9 (IANS) Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes England’s prospects in this year’s all-important Ashes will depend heavily on whether their top-order can give them a strong start. England recently had a 2-2 series draw against India and will next play Tests when the opening Ashes Test begins on November 21 in Perth.

“I’m as Aussie as anyone, and I love watching the way they (England) play. The Aussies embraced it and learnt about it the last time they were here. They’ll have an understanding now of what is a slightly more refined version of what England started a few years ago,” Ponting was quoted as saying by The Times on Saturday.

“I think they can (bat aggressively in Australia), and they will definitely try. It’s the way they naturally play, and it’s the way the coaches and captain want them to play. It’s the way they need to play — it just sets up everything for England, putting immediate pressure back on the bowlers.”

“You (the fielding side) have to adapt really quickly. They probably hold the key in Australia. If they can bat really well at the top, and set things up, that will give them a good chance in the series,” he added.

He also believes England have recently shown the ability to adapt their ultra-attacking Bazball approach and avoid being one-dimensional. “When it first started, it looked like Joe (Root) got carried away a bit. He changed his game. He’s gone back to playing normally.”

“Ollie Pope is naturally aggressive and scores pretty quickly. Stokes might have the lowest strike rate of all the batters since it began (he does). (Ben) Duckett and (Zak) Crawley are the two leading the way. So there’s been some refinement, and against the best teams they needed it,” he said.

Ponting further said it is unclear what kind of pitches will be prepared for England in the upcoming Ashes. “It’ll be interesting to see which way we prepare our tracks. I don’t think the Aussies will be saying anything to the groundsmen. Certainly, throughout my time, I didn’t speak to the groundsman, and even my coaches didn’t speak to him.”

“They always expected them to prepare the best wicket they could… I don’t really know which way England want it. They probably play their best cricket when they’ve got flatter pitches, because that’s what they need for their batting, but in Australia they probably need something in the wickets to help their bowling,” he said.

Ponting signed off by hoping England get a good fast bowling attack for the five-match series in Australia. “England are praying they’ll have Archer and Wood fit. If they are, they’ll have a crack with both of them in Perth and Brisbane, and then try to mix and match them for the rest of the series.”

“Archer adds so much to their line-up, that bit of extra pace that lifts everyone’s energy. And he’s done well against Australia in the past, and so has Wood. If they get both of them right, the attack looks pretty strong. Gus Atkinson looked good, and he’ll bowl OK in Australia.”

–IANS

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Jay Shah praises Bumrah, Sutherland on winning ICC December Player of Month Awards

Dubai, Jan 14 (IANS) Chairman of International Cricket Council (ICC) Jay Shah on Tuesday congratulated India pacer Jasprit Bumrah and Australia all-rounder Annabel Sutherland for being named Men’s and Women’s Players of the Month for December.

“Congrats to Jasprit Bumrah and Anna Sutherland on winning ICC Players of the Month for December!” said Jay Shah in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“These two superstars of our game are also nominees for the ICC’s highest individual honours in 2024 – the Sir Garfield Sobers ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and the Rachel Heyhoe-Flint ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year – which are announced later this month,” said Shah in his post.

Bumrah and Sutherland were announced winners of the award on Tuesday.

Bumrah, the top-ranked Test bowler, provided stern resistance to Australia’s resurgence in a compelling Border-Gavaskar Trophy series with destructive bowling spells, while Sutherland was in sparkling form during Australia’s ODI encounters against India and New Zealand, twice winning Player of the Series accolades for her all-round contributions.

Bumrah clinched his second ICC Men’s Player of the Month crown from fellow nominees, World Test Championship wicket-takers Pat Cummins and Dane Paterson. Sutherland also wins her second ICC Women’s Player of the Month prize, overcoming Smriti Mandhana and Nonkululeko Mlaba in the global vote.

Bumrah’s memorable year on the international stage drew to a close with more outstanding efforts in Australia, taking 22 wickets in December’s three Tests at an average of 14.22. As the home side grew in confidence, battling back from a 1-0 deficit to take the lead in the series, the seamer spearheaded India’s resistance, first starring in Adelaide with four for 61.

Onward to Brisbane and Bumrah blitzed the Australian batting lineup in the first innings, recording six for 76 in a fearsome spell in the first innings and three for 18 in the second. Another nine-wicket return in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne included a spell of five for 57 in the second innings, upon which the 31-year-old set a new record for the highest rating points tally by any Indian bowler in history.

Bumrah will be hoping for continued success in the coming weeks, where he is nominated for two of the top honours in the ICC Awards 2024 – the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year Award and the coveted Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year.

ICC Women’s Player of the Month, Sutherland capped a landmark year with the bat and ball starring in Australia’s recent wins over India and New Zealand, notching 269 runs at 67.25 and nine wickets in her five outings.

Sutherland began with four for 39 in a commanding victory over India in the second ODI in Brisbane, before she followed up in explosive fashion with the bat – striking 110 in 98 balls in the final match to claim the Player of the Series prize. The subsequent series against New Zealand across the Tasman Sea saw another display of batting prowess, and the 23-year-old hit a statement 105 runs in just 81 balls en route to opening victory by 65 runs (DLS).

The second matchup saw her hit another 42 runs and take three wickets as Australia claimed back-to-back ODI series sweeps and Sutherland a second successive Player of the Series accolade. The all-rounder is also in contention for the ICC Awards 2024 and is nominated in both the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year category and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year.

–IANS

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