Ben Shelton recently took part in the traditional pool jump after securing the 2024 ATP Houston title. After experiencing a rough beginning to the season, Shelton finally captured his first title of the year at the 2024 Houston Open. As the top seed, he received a bye in the first round and began his championship run with a comeback victory over Zizou Bergs.
Shelton, ranked 14th in the world, continued his strong performance by defeating fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the quarterfinals before staging another comeback to triumph over last year’s runner-up and fourth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the semifinals. This set up a final match against defending champion and third seed Frances Tiafoe, which Shelton won after a two-hour and ten-minute contest, scoring 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. This marked the 21-year-old’s second career title.
Following his victory, Shelton joined in the ceremonial pool jump, as Tiafoe had done the previous year. The tournament’s Instagram page shared a video of Shelton diving into the pool while being cheered on by a crowd.
Although Shelton also participated in the doubles event with partner Andres Andrade, they were eliminated in the second round.
During the post-match ceremony, Shelton praised Tiafoe for being a great inspiration to young people and individuals of color. He expressed gratitude to Tiafoe for always thinking of others and being selfless, thanking him for his contributions to the sport and to people of color.
