Ben Shelton advanced to his first Nitto ATP Finals on Thursday afternoon by beating Andrey Rublev 7-6(6), 6-3 in the third round of the Rolex Paris Masters.
Shelton came up with an incredible forehand winner at 7-6 in the first set tiebreak and then rolled through the second with a pair of breaks. The seventh-seeded American did not face a single break point, even though he had the upper hand in one hour and 35 minutes. He hit 15 aces without double faults.
“I knew going into today that this win qualified me,” Shelton assured. “I tried not to think about it; I’m trying to keep my mind on Paris this week. That’s the most important thing, which is right in front of me. Ultimately, I knew that if I wanted to control my own destiny, I had to go out there today and win. When I stepped on this court, I knew I would have to die on this court before I went down. I’m happy with the performance – I thought I had my best performance in months. I’m just really excited to be here in the quarter-finals.”
So continues the great season for Shelton, who won his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto and reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open. The 2025 season would be even better for the 23-year-old if not for his shoulder injury during the US Open.
“It’s huge; it was always a huge goal,” Shelton said of qualifying in Turin. “But the most important thing was to get back to the level I played at today. That’s where I wanted to be. This is where I was this summer around US Open time. To feel what I felt on the court today is what I’m most proud of.”
“This is the best tennis I have played since my injury. I wouldn’t say it was flawless, but everything [Rublev] threw to me today, how well I thought he played, you have to 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’ve gotten a better and better level apart.”
Shelton awaits Jannik Sinner or Francisco Cerundolo in the quarterfinals. Fellow Turin contender Felix Auger-Aliassime and Shanghai champion Valentin Vacherot advanced earlier on Thursday.
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