Ben Shelton has received a late wild card at next week's ATP Citi Open in Washington as he steps up his preparations for a busy summer on home soil.
Shelton joins some of the Tour's veterans, such as Kevin Anderson and Gael Monfils as wild card entrants in the nation's capital as he aims to bounce back from his shock straight sets defeat to Shang Juncheng in Atlanta. Shelton reacted to the news on his Instagram and looks super pumped for the occasion.
Last year, Shelton used the collegiate route to turn professional. He enjoyed a fabulous season on the ATP Challenger, where he reached no fewer than six finals in the second half of 2022 and won three straight titles in a glorious November. He broke the Top 100 as a consequence for the first time.
He fast-tracked his rise, playing Tour-level tennis in a full-time capacity this year and he has since risen into the world's Top 50. His first Grand Slam tournament outside the US Open was in Melbourne where he sensationally reached the quarterfinal.
"Thanks for the main draw wildcard Mubadala Citi Open. See you in DC in a couple of days."
Although Shelton has achieved many firsts this season, it is imperative to note that since leaving Australia, the American prodigy hasn't won back-to-back matches at any tournament on the ATP tour. But Shelton is documenting all his these experiences as part of a learning curve.
Shelton will mark his tournament debut at the ATP 500 event, which features a 48-man lineup in the singles draw. Shelton is slated as the 14th seed and will learn his first-round opponent when the tournament's draw ceremony is expected at 12:00 pm EST and will be aired exclusively on Facebook and YouTube.
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