"The heckling was insane, that's why I reacted" - Ben Shelton clarifies animated victory celebrations after Indian Wells 3R win vs Francisco Cerundolo

Ben Shelton has explained his post-match gesture towards a section of fans after his third-round win against Francisco Cerundolo at the Indian Wells Masters on Sunday (Mar. 10).

Shelton was made to work in the first set, winning 7-6(5) before losing 3-6 in the second. The American then replicated the first-set scoreline in the decider to ensure he qualified for the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters for the first time in his career.

The third-set tiebreak was particularly tight, with neither player once having a two-point advantage until Shelton converted his match point. Just seconds after he won, Shelton turned back to the fans directly behind him and let out a big roar.

The 21-year-old seemingly made a 'shushing' gesture as well. He has now explained that he reacted in this manner because he was being heckled from the stands.

An instance can be heard in the video below:

Check out Shelton's animated post-match celebrations below:

Shelton reshared a video taken by someone in the stands and asked his followers to turn the 'volume up' so they could hear the heckling he was subjected to. He captioned his Instagram story:

"Volume up... the heckling was insane in this match. That's why I reacted after match pt [point]... but we got thru [sic.] it."

Ben Shelton's Instagram story.

Despite converting just one of his 10 break point chances, making two more unforced errors than his opponent's 13, and managing a lower first serve percentage (60%-71%), Shelton persevered and ensured that he lived to see another day in the Californian desert.

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Ben Shelton set for Jannik Sinner challenge in Indian Wells 4R

Ben Shelton will face a huge task in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters in the form of World No. 3 Jannik Sinner.

Francisco Cerundolo didn't make it easy for Shelton in the third round either, but Sinner is one of the most in-form players right now and hardly has a chink in his armor on hard courts. The Italian got a taste of Grand Slam success for the first time in January this year when he won the 2024 Australian Open.

Sinner will now face Shelton in the last 16 of the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday (Mar. 12) after he dispatched serve and volleyer Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4 in the third round. The 22-year-old has won both tournaments he has participated in this year (Melbourne, Rotterdam) and boasts a 14-0 record in 2024.

Shelton, on the other hand, has had an underwhelming start to the new season. The World No. 16 hasn't won more than two matches in any of the six tournaments he has participated in so far and has a 10-5 singles record this year.