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Ben Shelton is set to become the highest-ranked American on the ATP Ranking for the first time in his career after the current occupant of that honor, Taylor Fritz, suffered an early exit at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters.
Ben Shelton recently claimed his second title on the ATP Tour and first one on clay at the 2024 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston. He bettered defending champion and fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the title contest in a three-set marathon 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to emerge victorious on home soil.
Shelton was the top seed in Houston and defeated Zizou Bergs, Brandon Nakashima, No. 4 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry and No. 3 seed Tiafoe on the way to the ATP 250 title. With the help of these 250 points, the 21-year-old will climb one spot on the ATP Ranking, from World No. 14 to 13 with 2490 points, and overtake Taylor Fritz (2450 points), becoming the No. 1 American on the ATP Tour.
Fritz's demotion in the ranking came after his shock first-round exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He was the 13th seed in the first 1000-level tournament on clay and was ousted by Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-4. This exit was a big blow to Fritz's ranking as he was defending semifinal points from last year's Monte-Carlo Masters.
As the No. 8 seed at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters, Taylor Fritz defeated Stan Wawrinka, Jiri Lehecka and Stefanos Tsitsipas before losing to eventual champion Andrey Rublev in the semifinal. He collected 360 points as a result of his semifinal finish.
Ben Shelton is not playing at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters and is not defending any ranking points either after losing in the first round last year.
Ben Shelton on Frances Tiafoe: "You have been such an inspiration to kids, people of color in our sport"
Ben Shelton praised Frances Tiafoe for his work in promoting tennis among the African-American community after their final in Houston. Shelton recognized Tiafoe as the flagbearer of African-American men in the tennis world and thanked him for thinking about the younger generation's future in the sport.
"You have been such an inspiration to kids, people of color in our sport, just an amazing representation. And you've been that guy who always put on for us and always be selfless thinking about others kids younger than you. So thanks for everything that you do for our sport and people who look like you and me," Shelton said during the trophy presentation.
Shelton then candidly apologized to Tiafoe for preventing him from defending his title at Houston and hoped for him to bounce back stronger. He also wished Tiafoe good luck with his title defense in Stuttgart later this year.
“Great week Foe. Great job to you and your team. I know this one stings, sorry you didn't go back-to-back titles, but you're that type of player who can go back to back. I want to see you do it again this year, hopefully in Stuttgart,” Shelton said.
