From his first ATP point to the first win on debut at Atlanta - the incredible journey of American college star Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton delighted American tennis fans when he got past qualifier Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-2, 7-5 in the opening round of the Atlanta Open.
Shelton, the current NCAA singles champion, made it to the main draw via a wildcard before beating the Indian veteran.
ATP Tour debut. ATP Tour WIN 🙌
NCAA singles champion & Atlanta native @benshelton1009 scores a 6-2 7-5 victory over Ramanathan.
#AtlantaOpen https://t.co/gGTOIo1s4j
"ATP Tour debut. ATP Tour WIN @benshelton1009 scores a 6-2 7-5 victory over Ramanathan #AtlantaOpen"
It was an impressive display from the 19-year-old who made his ATP tour debut in Atlanta and is yet to turn professional. The American used his big serve to good effect against Ramanathan, who had qualified for the main draw with an impressive 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (2) win over World No. 87 Jack Draper in the final qualifying round.
The Indian had earlier accounted for World No. 107 Stefan Kozlov 6-0, 6-1 with ease in less than an hour. The triumphant Shelton will now take on six-time Atlanta Open champion John Isner in the next round.
Former US Open quarterfinalist Brad Gilbert, who is now an analyst for ESPN, took to Twitter after Shelton's win, predicting that the teenager would rise to breach the top-50 of the ATP rankings.
best shot to get a lefty in the Top 50 since 2017 (Donald Young) Will be top 50 for sure, has improved a lot lot in last 9 months twitter.com/teamusatracker…
The towering 6 foot 3-inch left-hander, who has done well in recent ATP Challenger events, had stated that he chose Florida to study as his father, Bryan Shelton, was part of the coaching team.
"There were a bunch of other schools in the nation I was looking at that have great tennis programs but when I was thinking about coming to college and thinking about the team chemistry. The relationship that all the guys have with the coach, my dad, I thought it would be something really cool to be a part of. That was one of the main reasons I chose Florida," said Ben Shelton.
His father, Bryan Shelton, was also a pro tennis player and achieved a career-high ATP ranking of World No. 55 back in 1992.
The phenomenal rise of Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton has had a phenomenal year where he first excelled for the Florida Gators team before displaying his class at the ATP Challenger and ATP Futures events.
From winning his first-ever ATP points in June last year to beating Ramanathan in Atlanta, the youngster has come a long way.
What a year for @BenShelton1009 🔥
6/30/21: Earns 1st ATP point
8/1/21: Wins 1st futures title in just 4th pro event
8/15/21: @USTABoys 18s finalist
10/10/21: Wins ITA All-American Championship
5/28/22: NCAA singles champ
7/18/22: 1st challenger final
7/26/22: 1st ATP win https://t.co/3yGcbUuJdk
"What a year for @BenShelton1009, 8/1/21: Wins 1st futures title in just 4th pro event, 8/15/21: @USTABoys 18s finalist 10/10/21: Wins ITA All-American Championship 5/28/22: NCAA singles champ 7/18/22: 1st challenger final 7/26/22: 1st ATP win"
Shelton, who is currently ranked No. 281 reached the finals of the USTA boys 18 National Championships last year where he lost to Zach Zwajda.
He also ensured a win for the Florida Gators team in the ITA All-American Championships on his debut in the competition last year.
More success followed for the Atlanta native as he reigned supreme at the NCAA Singles Championships with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win against August Holmgren. He rounded off the 2021-22 season on a 10-match win streak and a 37-5 singles record.
Ben Shelton was on a roll at the Little Rock Challenger in Arkansas last year, where he eventually lost to Jason Kubler in the semifinals before storming into the finals of the Rome Challenger where he went down to Yibing Wu of China.
Yet another semifinal appearance followed at the ATP Challenger event in Indianapolis before he lost to Alexander Kovacevic. A decision to take the leap towards becoming a professional in time for the US Open is still being discussed, according to the teen.
“That’ll definitely be a talk later in the summer with my parents and my team and we’ll make a decision based on where my development is and what’s going to be best for me not just on the court but off the court as well. There’s no real results or rankings that are going to sway my decision in a big way," Shelton was quoted as saying .
The US National Collegiate Champion will face his biggest challenge yet when he takes on John Isner in the round of 16 at the Atlanta Open on Thursday.