Ben Shelton is known for his lightning speed — just maybe not fast.
In her third consecutive 23-year-old US Open semifinal victory over fellow American Frances Tiafoe, Shelton was seen to record an eyebrow-raising, 158-mile-per-hour serve, according to a measurement displayed at the stadium.
It was, at least, the fastest: Tiafoe was barely able to reach his net in a potentially record-breaking manner, sending the return out of bounds because of his high speed.
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But immediately the 158 Cloud felt too high, even for the service, a lot of power was clearly struck. That number broke several records, being the fastest ever served officially by the ATP.
Unfortunately, the record was quickly reported, thanks to the visual reasoning of Hawk-Oyus. Both Hawk-Oyus and the US Tennis Association (USTA) served hits of only 144 mph, confirmed by Lukas Weese of Athletics.
The US Open later corrected the error on social media.
A 144-mph serve isn’t nothing: it’s still faster than a lot of players can hit on tour. But the speed at which Shelton serves is hitting on a regular basis, and it wasn’t even the fastest of the night, with the young American’s serve clocking in at 149 mph earlier in the contest.
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Shelton’s serves, in general, were noticeably faster than Tiafoe’s: The 23-year-old averaged 119 mph on his serves through the first three sets, while Tiafoe averaged 104 mph. Shelton’s top serve led him to victory in four sets, advancing to his first Grand Slam final, after a whopping 20 aces, including eight in the fourth.
As for speed, Shelton has cracked 150 mph in other events, so he could come in at 158 — just not Friday.