Ben Shelton is poised to become the top-ranked American player in the ATP rankings for the first time in his career, following Taylor Fritz’s early exit at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters. Shelton recently claimed his second ATP Tour title, and his first on clay, at the 2024 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston. He defeated defending champion and fellow American Frances Tiafoe in a thrilling three-set final, winning 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
As the top seed in Houston, Shelton overcame Zizou Bergs, Brandon Nakashima, No. 4 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, and No. 3 seed Tiafoe to secure the ATP 250 title. With the addition of these 250 points, the 21-year-old will rise one spot in the ATP rankings, from World No. 14 to 13, with 2490 points, surpassing Taylor Fritz (2450 points) to become the top-ranked American on the ATP Tour.
Fritz dropped in the rankings due to his surprising first-round defeat at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he was seeded 13th in the first 1000-level clay-court tournament. He was beaten by Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-4, which was a significant blow to his ranking as he had reached the semifinals at last year’s Monte-Carlo Masters.
In the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters, as the No. 8 seed, Taylor Fritz defeated Stan Wawrinka, Jiri Lehecka, and Stefanos Tsitsipas before losing to eventual champion Andrey Rublev in the semifinal. He earned 360 points as a result of his appearance in the semifinals.
Ben Shelton is not participating in the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters and is not defending any ranking points after a first-round exit last year.
After their showdown in Houston, Shelton praised Tiafoe for promoting tennis among the African-American community. He acknowledged Tiafoe’s role as the flagbearer for African-American male tennis players and thanked him for considering the future of the younger generation in the sport.
During the trophy presentation, Shelton said, “You have been such an inspiration to kids, people of color in our sport, and just an amazing representation.” He added that Tiafoe has selflessly thought about younger players. Shelton also apologized to his opponent for preventing him from defending his title and hoped that Tiafoe could bounce back stronger in later tournaments like the one in Stuttgart.
