Ben Shelton's US Open semifinal run felt like the start of something big. The 21-year-old American had already reached the Australian Open quarterfinals to start the 2023 season, but after some growing pains in his rookie year on the ATP Tour, things were once again starting to click.
That click could have been the sound of Shelton hanging up the phone—the trademark celebration that was copied by Novak Djokovic at the US Open. But no matter what player has been on the other line, Shelton has remained dialed in since his New York breakthrough.
He's now 14-2 dating back to the start of the Flushing fortnight, and the powerful lefty's five most recent wins propelled him to his first ATP Tour title on Sunday in Tokyo. The result also lifted him to a new career-high ATP ranking of world No. 15, less than 10 months after he began the season at No. 96. He joins No. 9 Taylor Fritz, No. 12 Tommy Paul and No. 14 Frances Tiafoe to make it four American men in the Top 15 for the first time since 1997.
Shelton earned three wins from a set down at the ATP 500, including a gutsy fightback against compatriot Marcos Giron in the semifinals. After beating Paul in the quarters—repeating the result from their all-American fourth-round showdown at the US Open—Shelton trailed by a set and a double break at 5-2 in the second against Giron. Despite twice being two points from defeat on return, Shelton escaped with a 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-4 victory to reach his first tour-level final.
There would be no such drama in the title match, as Shelton powered past Aslan Karatsev, 7-5, 6-1, without dropping serve.
"That meant a lot to me and my team," Shelton said after clinching his maiden title. "We have been working really hard since the beginning to build my game and win titles on the ATP Tour. I made some deep runs lately.
"You see the great champions, they finish weeks off. They win titles, they don't just get to finals. They are able to maintain their level throughout the week. I am not saying I am anywhere there yet, but to be able to do it for one week, put together five matches in a row in Tokyo is really special."
The title triumph also created some family history alongside his father and coach, Bryan Shelton. The pair are now the fourth father-son duo to win tour-level singles titles in the Open Era.
Another father also made history last week: 37-year-old Gael Monfils. The fan-favorite Frenchman won his 12th tour-level title, and his first as a parent, by beating Pavel Kotov in the Stockholm final.
Monfils beat Pavel, 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 on Sunday to claim his first ATP crown in nearly two years, since he won in Adelaide in January of 2022.
Rounding out the trio of ATP Tour champions on the week, Alexander Bublik claimed the Antwerp title, beating Arthur Fils in Sunday's final. The 19-year-old Fils copied Shelton by writing "Humble and Hungry" on the camera lens after his semifinal victory, and Shelton responded by writing "Show me something Arthur" after his final triumph.
While Fils was unable to match his friend's result on Sunday, the Frenchman is on a similar trajectory in the ATP rankings. After beginning the season outside the Top 250, this year's Lyon champion now sits at a career high of world No. 38.
