Ben Shelton Joins Legendary Company With Latest Win At Roland Garros
NewsMonday, 26 May 2025 at 15:05
Ben Shelton won his first match at this year's Roland Garros, which helped him to join a truly legendary company.
Shelton is undoubtedly one of the most talented players on the ATP Tour. He wasn't a prodigious teenager on Tour, as the American chose the college route and first left the United States only in 2023 when he was 20 years old.
This year is only Shelton's third season, but he's already on the verge of breaking into the Top 10, and his record at Grand Slams is incredibly impressive as well. As a 22-year-old player, the American is already a two-time major semi-finalist.
Those results came at hard-court Slams, so in Australia and in the United States, and due to the lack of familiarity with clay courts, Shelton didn't enjoy much success at Roland Garros in the past. He lost in his opening match in 2023, and won only two matches last year.
This year, Shelton started with a hard-fought win against Lorenzo Sonego, beating the Italian player 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, in a match that ended after midnight in the French capital.
It was Shelton's 35th match at a Grand Slam level, and also his 25th win. That amount means that he is the joint third-fastest man to reach 25 wins at a major level since 2005.
The only two men who did it faster were Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal, who both needed only 32 matches to win their first 25 matches at Grand Slams. For comparison, another man who won 25 of his first 35 Grand Slam matches is Novak Djokovic.
Considering that Nadal is a 22-time Grand Slam champion, Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam winner, and Alcaraz already has four majors to his name, it's highly probable that, based on this stat alone, Shelton could join them by winning at least one Slam in the future.
At the same time, the American player knows that he has a long road ahead of him, as it took a lot from him to beat Sonego in the first round. The Italian is one of the players who fight for every point, which Shelton recognized after the match.
"This was a tough one for sure. I played him in the quarters in Australia, and I know he is a big-match player, a Grand Slam player, and you guys saw some hot shots tonight and some crazy tennis from him. For me, I thought the crowd was great. It was my first time being out here on Court Philippe-Chatrier and it will not be one that I forget."
In the next round, Shelton will play in the conditions that he loves. As a former college player, he thrives in front of rowdy crowds, and such a crowd will certainly be present for his next match.
The American player will take on home player Hugo Gaston in the second round of the tournament, with the winner possibly taking on Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round.
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