Ben Shelton didn’t drop a set through the first three rounds at Wimbledon this year, but as one may expect, the level of play picked up over the second week of action. Shelton advanced to the quarterfinals with a fourth-round win over Lorenzo Sonego on Monday, but he ran into an all-too-familiar buzzsaw in World No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Wednesday.
The former Gator will improve to No. 9 on the ATP rankings after a career-best performance at the sport’s oldest and most prestigious tournament. Shelton has improved on each of his Grand Slam finishes from 2024 so far this year, reaching the Australian Open semifinals and the French Open fourth round. He’ll have to go all the way to the final at the US Open to continue the trend.
Winning his first Major in the United States would be yet another storybook moment in Shelton’s young career. A dynamic personality, the 22-year-old American phenom often endears himself to any international crowd. He plays best when he has support behind him, and his favorite surface is the hard court.
“I play best at the majors,” Shelton said, according to ATP. “Probably part atmosphere. I love playing on the big stages. I love playing the big matches. I love competing in front of big crowds. It’s just everything about it is special for me. It makes it the most fun. I love the long format. I think it helps me find my best tennis.”
Ben Shelton def. Lorenzo Sonego (3-6, 6-1, 7-6(1), 7-5)
Shelton came into the matchup with a 3-1 record against Sonego, and he cruised to a four-set victory after finding his serve. Sonego showed off a strong return game in the opening set, rattling Shelton with a tactically slow game on both sides. A double fault for the Italian swung the momentum back in Shelton’s favor, and he quickly dominated the set, 6-1.
The overpowering serve from Shelton also proved to be the difference in the third-set tiebreaker. The fourth set seemed destined for another tiebreak, but Shelton finally broke Sonego at 5-5 and took the deciding set in 12 games.
“I’m happy with the way that I played that last game. I feel like that was my best tennis, my best returning, and that’s what I’m going to need to continue in this tournament,” said Shelton. “So for me to end the match with that sort of game gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.”
Jannik Sinner def. Ben Shelton (7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4)
The first time Ben Shelton and Jannik Sinner met was in 2023 at the ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai tournament. Shelton won that Round of 16 meeting on outdoor hard court, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5). Sinner has since won 15 sets in a row, including a three-set sweep in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Wednesday.
“His ball speed is really high. Never seen anything like it. You don’t see anything like it when you’re going through the draw,” Shelton said. “When you play him, it’s almost like things are in (double) speed. I’m usually pretty good at adjusting to that speed. It’s difficult when a guy’s hitting the ball that big, that consistently off both wings, and serving the way he is.”
Shelton had a chance to go up 1-0 in the first set after taking the first two points of the tiebreaker on Sinner’s serve. The World No. 1 responded with seven consecutive points, and Shelton looked rattled. He never recovered. Sinner cruised to a victory, breaking Shelton in each of the next two sets.
Perhaps it’s the cicrle of life in tennis showing its hand. Sinner struggled to overcome Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokavic early in his career before surging ahead to the No. 1 spot. Shelton is going through his trials and tribulations right now, albeit at the same time he’s reaching a new career high of No. 9 in the world.
“I could sit there and be like, ‘Wow, 22 years old and I’ve been able to do these things and achieve these things’. But my mind is, I don’t know, critical. I’m a critical thinker. I’m trying to solve problems,” Shelton said. “I know that I’m not where I want to be. That’s kind of what I’m focusing on. Obviously, being closer and being in the later stages makes you even more hungry and makes you feel like you can do it and you can break through.”
Up Next for Ben Shelton
With the grass court season over, Shelton returns to North America to begin the hard court circuit. Last year, he played in the Atlanta 250 (R16), Washington 500 (semifinals), Canada 1000 (R32) and Cincinnati 1000 (QF) between Wimbledon and the US Open.
There is no Atlanta tournament on the ATP schedule, but Shelton could replace it with a Mexico 250 (July 14-19) or the Winston-Salem 250 (August 17-23). The latter seems more likely given the deep run at Wimbledon and it serves as a tune-up the week before the US Open. Deep runs in Toronto and Cincinnati could make up for the small point loss, as well.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators tennis alum Ben Shelton makes Wimbledon quarterfinal