Tommy Paul shows support for Ben Shelton after he achieves major career milestone with top 10 breakthrough

Tommy Paul reacted to fellow American Ben Shelton's big milestone achievement as he reached his first top 10 after winning the quarterfinals of the Boss Open. Paul was in the running for the Roland Garros title, but lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.

Ben Shelton's French Open campaign was cut short after he faced defeat from Spaniard Alcaraz in the fourth round in three sets. He was next in action at the Boss Open, trouncing Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Jiri Lehecka to reach the semi-finals against Alexander Zverev.

His effort in the quarter-finals catapulted him to the top 10 in the ATP rankings for the first time in his career. He entered as No. 12 but climbed two places in the live rankings. His fellow American player, Tommy Paul, who had a semi-final exit at the French Open, shared the news in his Instagram story and expressed pride in him with a US flag and a crocodile emoji.

Paul reacts to Ben Shelton's achievement; Instagram - @tommypaull

In 2022, Ben Shelton began his journey as No. 573, but his string of phenomenal performances propelled him to No. 96 by the end of the year. The following year, he made his first Grand Slam quarter-finals at the Australian Open and the semi-finals at the US Open, besides winning his maiden ATP title at the Japan Open. His effort helped him reach the top 15 in the rankings on October 23, 2023.

In 2024, after his win at the US Men's Clay Court Championships, he outpaced Taylor Fritz to become the American No. 1.

Ben Shelton had his eyes glued to the screen when Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner battled it out in the Roland Garros finals

Alcaraz at the French Open Tennis Tournament. Roland-Garros 2025. - (Source: Getty)

Ben Shelton had a fourth-round exit, and he didn't follow the routine he usually does after his knockout. He instead tuned in to the Roland Garros finals and got especially hooked on the fifth-set tie-break between the World No. 1 and the Spaniard.

Sharing the anecdote in an episode of 2nd Serve (Tennis Channel), he said:

"The serve was a non-factor. They were putting the serve in the box and going to war. And I, it was really entertaining at the points that they were having. Every point, it was crazy. And for me, it was the tiebreaker that was the most insane."

He added:

"Those first six or seven points from Alcaraz, you go back in and you watch those. And that's some of the most clutch tennis I've seen at 6-all on the fifth in my life."

Besides tennis, Ben Shelton's dating life has also been blooming after his relationship with soccer star Trinity Rodman broke the internet.