[USATP]

 

[USATP]

Some Shelton Stats

New Career High Ranking of No. 7 (No. 2 American)

Top 3 biggest / fastest backhands on tour in 2025:
1. J. Sinner
2. Ben Shelton
3. F. Cerundolo

ATP Leaderboard
Top 5 Serve (No. 2 American)
Top 20 Under Pressure (No. 1 American)
Top 60s Return (⬆20 spots, 8th American)

 

[Nole Rules]

OP, nobody is feeling your glazing of Ben. Hate to break it to you. He needs a big title first to be taken seriously. A masters would be nice.

 

[USATP]

OP, nobody is feeling your glazing of Ben.

I don't care what people think. I'm already in contact with multiple top players directly including Ben.

 

[USATP]

Yay, 100 match wins! Tight match but Shel-tru is Top 10 (No. 7) & it shows. 6-4 4-6 7-6 (1) 2 hrs 24mins. H2H 2 all. Through to QFs in both singles & doubles at Canada Masters. Top 8 amongst Gen Z with 100 match wins. Amazing improvements for only his 3rd full season.

Cobolli pissed Shelton off & paid the price in the tiebreak. Then back tracked when Ben pressed him on the issue during handshake & post-match. Admitted to excessive movement during the breaker because he was frustrated with the long match. Also said Bendy deserved the win & it wasn’t personal. Ben10 said, if you say it's not personal, I'll accept it because we're friends.

 

[jfclams]

Your boy has a tude on court @USATP Cobolli wasnt a fan. Hes better at the TB thing now

 

[USATP]

Your boy has a tude on court, Cobolli wasnt a fan.

Cobolli attempted to play dirty early in the tiebreak. Ben took umbrage with that & immediately shut the match down. Cobolli even laughed during because he realized he messed up & poked the bear. Ben pressed him for an explanation after. Flavor Flavio admitted to his actions chalking it up to stress & a desire to win. Ben was like, okay fine, I thought we were friends, but don't try to play dirty against me.

 

[MWW]

Some Shelton Stats


ATP Leaderboard
Top 5 Serve (No. 2 American)
Top 20 Under Pressure (No. 1 American)
Top 60s Return (⬆20 spots, 8th American)

That is really the bit he can improve on - his serve is already generally an elite shot. But being top 60s only on return for a top 10 player leaves much to be desired.

 

[USATP]

being top 60s only on return for a top 10 player leaves much to be desired.

He's up 20 spots which mean he's improving. Looking to be top 50. Broke Cobolli 3xs.

 

[jfclams]

Cobolli attempted to play dirty early in the tiebreak. Ben took umbrage with that & immediately shut the match down. Cobolli even laughed during because he realized he messed up & poked the bear. Ben pressed him for an explanation after. Flavor Flavio admitted to his actions chalking it up to stress & a desire to win. Ben was like, okay fine, I thought we were friends, but don't try to play dirty against me.

Flavor Flavio

 

[USATP]

Flavor Flavio

You said you wanted punnier punnery.

 

[USATP]

Make that 101 wins!

World No. 7, Semi-Shelton, enters “uncharted territory” by claiming his 6th Top 10 win & 12th SF, but his first at Masters level (finally!). Bests De Minaur 6-3 6-4 in 91 mins. “A lot of guys see me as just a server.” Broke DM 3xs & won the 9+ rallies 12-7. Top 2 Americans, Fritz & Shelton, will face off in the SF. First time since 2010. 👍🏽👏🏽💪🏽🎾🇺🇸 Shelton is the youngest American Masters 1000 semi-finalist in two decades. ATP article.

 

[USATP]

102 wins!

"Even more uncharted territory. Humble & hungry." Ben Shelton is through to his maiden Masters final. Besting compatriot Fritz 6-4 6-3 in 78 mins. Broke 3xs. H2H 1 all. Bravo!

The first SF went overly long & then a protracted ELC delay caused them to leave the court & re-warm up upon return. Conscientious of the clock & his opponent, Ben subsequently produced a no-nonsense performance against the in-form Fritz who after weeks of high level serving seemed to be experiencing slight discomfort with his right External abdominal oblique muscles during two changeovers.

Fritz tried a copy & paste approach, but what worked against Ruby failed spectacularly against Shelton. Why? Ben is a more complete player than Angrey who Ben incidentally also beat in 2024 (Basel). In short, Ben's serve, forehand, backhand, & net game all withstood Fritz who struggled to handle Shelton's pace, variety, & consistency. Ben wasn't overawed by the occasion or Fritz's ranking. Ben knows he is the future of American men's tennis & remains focused on positioning himself to contend for Slams. Prima primae, deliver at the Masters.

As I already stated elsewhere, Shelton has the superior serve (especially 2nd), is a better athlete / mover, has bigger weapons, is more comfortable at net, & has X-factor. All of which have come to the forefront this 2025 season & specifically now during the Canada Masters. Shelton will face off against Karen in the Final. Their second hard court match in 2025. We'll see what happens in a matter of hours...

 

[Phillo]

Holding my breath that he doesn't botch upcoming CO final but yes, the ATP in dire need of some fresh new contenders & right now Shelphone seems to finally b living up to his expectations 🤞 🤞 🥂 🥂

 

[zjtennis]

I get fans just make random hype threads like this but I have to pass and say great win by Shelton winning his first Masters...we'll see if he can reach maybe the Final in the US Open after this fantastic run.

 

[USATP]

I get fans just make random hype threads like this

Lol, not exactly random. It's a surface specific, tidier, & more efficient way for me to track winning progress compared to generating a plethora of threads for every single match played each season at every level. Thanks for the positive vibes. The final was stressful, but highly worth it. Had to break out the tequila and some old school gospel music during the 2nd & 3rd sets. Ben played so well across all 8 matches in singles & doubles. Coming into the final, Shelton was rated ahead of Karen on serve & return quality. In the end, it showed.

 

[USATP]

"Surreal feeling... my best tennis came out when it mattered most.”

Now 3/5 in finals. Tokyo 500 (2023), Houston 250 (2024), Canada Masters (2025). New career high ranking of World No. 6 & now 4th in the Race to Turin for ATP Finals. 13th American champion in Canada & the youngest since Andy Roddick. Shelton is the 6th lefty to win Canada Masters. Joins Laver, McEnroe, & Nadal. Wow.

ATP: Canada Final | ATP: Hungry for More

Ben entered the Canada final leading in serve and return quality stats. From 2nd set, Ben was hitting his backhand harder than Karen. Deep into the 3rd, they were tied for 95 points won.
To paraphrase the HoF tennis greats: You win the biggest titles with your mind before you win them with your body.

"I'm trying!" Ben exclaimed to his dad, frustrated that so many shots continued to sail long. As soon as Shelton heard Mboko had won the Montreal final, the match turned. Ben became much more aggressive. Alas, he didn't break in that game & lost the opening set in the tiebreak. It didn't matter, after a nervy start, he found the mental fire to fight. You could see him inspired to keep the Canada Masters title with the young, fresh North Americans.

In the 2nd set, Bryan gently suggested what I and the commentators could see: Ben needed to move closer to the baseline & get forward. When guys hit really big from the baseline: take it earlier, hold tighter to baseline, look to move forward, & keep them moving. The Medvedev strategy of sitting farther back doesn't even work for Danil these days. Ben agreed. With that strategic shift, the match would turn physically.

Not so fastidious; ELC poutine problems abound, again! Audio issues prevented aural faults on Karen's wide serve. Ben & Karen got agitated. Murphy had to talk them both down. The crowd got impatient with the hold up & booed Ben before realizing something larger was afoot. Shelton sportingly offered Karen a manager's discount: multiple 1st serves due to the delay & didn't get pissed when Special K managed to hold.

Both guys were feeling it physically in the 3rd set. Knee Bend early on & K-Mart later as the end neared. Ben remained calm, trusted his father's coaching, & saved his best serves for bossing the deciding tiebreak as he did against Cobolli.

The speeches were lovely. "Gentle giant" Karen, warmly reiterated the praise players & pundits have often expressed towards Ben & his team. A stark contrast to the online haters still sipping the geriatric Ensure of USO SF drama from 2023.

After Ben Shelton won, he was putting medals around the necks of ball kids as is customary. As he reached the end of the line, a boy connected with Ben over their curly hair. They touched & compared their curls & chatted. Ben gave him a pat as he walked away for photos. Representation is part of inspiration.

Before the Fritz SF match, I offered some brief, specific feedback which Ben utilized in that match & the final. Yes, I got teary during the final, but not when you might expect. It was during the 2nd set when I could feel the comeback underway. Then the fiery late break happened and the rest was history.

Final Snacks: pretzels, then chocolate ice cream, & finally something healthier for hope: clementines. Stress eating, indeed. Drinks: 1st set I had pomegranate wine. Too weak, as Shelton lost. 2nd & 3rd sets required tequila. Needed something stronger to get across the finish line. Music: Mahalia Jackson during the 2nd & 3rd sets. Only old school gospel was strong enough to meet the moment.

 

[Phillo]

As they say in Italian, BRAVISSIMO for a fantastic run to the new kid on the block.

And no reason why you can't turn that H2H vs Sincaraz around now.

 

[FilipoSVK]

Yes, congrats to Shelton. Now bring these performances to matches against Sinner and Alcaraz and we'll have the new, very decent challenger of currently the very best 2 players in the world.

 

[jfclams]

Next 2 majors are in his wheelhouse. I'm guessing he's making the ATP Finals too