Ben Shelton loses to Arthur Fils in Japan Open QF, one year after his cheeky 'show me something' camera message to Frenchman following 2023 triumph

Ben Shelton’s hopes for a title defense at the Japan Open came to an early end as he was beaten 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) by Arthur Fils throughout a grueling three-hour match. After this loss, fans recalled the American’s ‘show me something Arthur' message that he'd penned on the camera after his victory in Tokyo last year.

Shelton's run in Tokyo had seen some incredible performances for the youngster. After a strong showing throughout the competition, he beat Aslan Karatsev in the finals, winning his first ATP Tour title.

While the American was busy at the Japan Open, Arthur Fils had been in action at the European Open in Antwerp, Belgium. The Frenchmen had a stunning run at the ATP 250 event, taking down seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals. Celebrating that win, Fils copied Ben Shelton's ‘humble and hungry’ message on the camera.

Shelton had reacted to this by writing ‘show me something Arthur' on the camera after his title victory in Tokyo. Now, the American has been ousted from the Japan Open by Fils, exactly a year after their playful back and forth on the camera.

Back in 2023, Arthur Fils hadn't been able to live up to Shelton's challenge. Despite multiple phenomenal performances in Antwerp, the Frenchman fell short in the finals to Alexander Bubkik. In the post-match conference after his loss, he praised the American while lamenting his own performance saying,

“Ben [Shelton] is a really good friend. I saw his first title, it’s great. Well, today, I didn’t manage to show him much.”

Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils even in head-to-head record after Japan Open

Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils are now even in their head-to-head record (Image Source: Getty)

Before their recent clash at the Japan Open, Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils had faced each other only once. Back in 2023, the duo had clashed at the Laver Cup, as Shelton represented Team World, while Fils played for Team Europe.

The American had emerged victorious in that particular battle, coming from behind in the first set to win 7-6(4) 6-1.

“I really wanted to be able to set the tone with my energy for Team World today and I think it went pretty well, so I'm excited to get on the bench and cheer on these guys for the rest of the day,” Ben Shelton said after the win.

Arthur Fils managed to take his revenge on the American, dashing the latter's hopes of a title defense in Tokyo.