Ben Shelton clinched a spot in his first Nitto ATP Finals by beating Andrey Rublev 7-6(6), 6-3 in the third round of the Rolex Paris Masters on Thursday afternoon.
Shelton came up with an incredible forehand winner at 7-6 in the first-set tiebreaker and then rolled through the second with a pair of breaks. The seventh-ranked American did not face a single break point while prevailing in one hour and 35 minutes. He struck 15 aces without double-faulting.
“I knew going into today that this win qualified me,” Shelton assured. “I was trying not to think about it; I’m trying to keep my mind here on Paris this week. That’s what’s most important, what’s right in front of me. I knew at the end of the day that if I want to be in control of my own destiny to go out and win today. I knew when I stepped on this court that I was going to have to die on this court before I went down. I’m happy with the performance–I thought I brought out my best performance in months. I’m just really excited to be in the quarterfinals here.”
Thus continues a stellar season for Shelton, who captured his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto and made a run to the Australian Open semifinals. The 2025 campaign would be even better for the 23-year-old if not for a shoulder injury sustained at the U.S. Open.
“It’s huge; it was always a huge goal,” Shelton said of Turin qualification. “But most important was to get back to this level that I played today. That’s where I wanted to be at. This is where I was at this summer around U.S. Open time. To feel what I felt on the court today is what I’m most proud about.
“This is the best tennis I’ve played since my injury. I wouldn’t say it was flawless, but with everything [Rublev] threw at me today, how well I thought he played, you gotta give him a lot of credit. I played one of my best matches of the year and it was two tight sets that could have gone either way. I think we brought out a better and better level out of each other.”
Shelton awaits either Jannik Sinner or Francisco Cerundolo in the quarters. Fellow Turin contender Felix Auger-Aliassime and Shanghai champion Valentin Vacherot advanced earlier on Thursday.
nice one, Ben