Ben Shelton has endured a difficult run of results on home soil since winning the Dallas Open in February. Shelton suffered a third-round exit in Indian Wells, a second-round exit in Miami, and a shocking quarterfinal exit in Houston, where he was the top-seeded player.
However, the 23-year-old made a surprising run in doubles at the Houston Open, ultimately winning the title in a thrilling fashion alongside fellow Florida Gators alum Andres Andrade. The duo defeated the No. 1-seeded pairing of Rafael Matos and Orlando Lus in the summit clash in an exciting come-from-behind win.
Coco Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, who co-hosts the “Big T” podcast on Tennis Channel, praised Shelton for showcasing ultimate fighting spirit in Houston and for winning the doubles title despite suffering a shocking singles exit earlier. Gilbert’s comments came during the latest episode of the podcast.
“And maybe another great story in Houston was Ben Shelton, disappointing loss in the quarters, you know, he got the bye, but you know what he does? He’s playing doubles there with his buddy from who played at the University of Florida. He doesn’t bag it. The guy is ranked two 20 in the world,” Gilbert said.
“He’s ranked about 400 in the world and doubles, and he goes on and wins it. That’s the biggest result of his career for that guy. So full credit for Ben for sticking around and taking that swimming pool plunge, and I think that’s going to help Ben moving forward,” he added.
Ben Shelton to Resume Claycourt Season in Munich
After skipping the Monte Carlo Masters, Shelton will now be resuming play on tour at the BMW Open by Bitpanda in Munich, starting April 13. This will be the American’s second clay event of the season, following the Houston Open.
Shelton, now the American No. 1, per the latest ATP rankings, will play his maiden Masters 1000 event on a clay surface in Madrid, starting April 20, which will be followed by another Masters 1000 event in Rome in May before players head to Paris, France, for the second Grand Slam (the French Open) of the year.
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