Ben Shelton Hits Career-High ATP Ranking with Top 10 Debut

It’s been a roller coaster past few years for Ben Shelton. From winning his first ATP tour title at 21 to making two Grand Slam semifinals, the young American has been on a roll. Shelton hit his latest milestone on Monday by cracking the ATP Top 10 for the first time in his career.

After making his first grass court semifinal at the BOSS OPEN last week, the 22-year-old rises from World No. 12 to No. 10. Shelton joins Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Roscoe Tanner as one of four American lefties to crack the Top 10 in the modern ATO rankings that have been in place since 1973.

He now joins compatriots Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, World No. 4 and 8, respectively, at the top of the rankings, marking the first time in 19 years that three American men hold top ten positions.

Andy Roddick, James Blake, and Andre Agassi were the last American trio to hold top ten spots during the week of April 17, 2006.

Shelton made his ATP Tour debut as a wildcard at the 2022 Atlanta Open, defeating Ramkumar Ramanathan in the first round before falling to John Isner in three sets in the second.

He received a second wildcard to the Cincinnati Masters a few weeks later, where he recorded his first victory over a top-100 player after his win over World No. 56 Lorenzo Sonego. He went on to defeat World No. 5 Casper Rudd in a three-set battle for his first top-10 win.

Shortly before the 2022 US Open, Shelton announced that he would be joining the professional tour, leaving his college team at the University of Florida. Shelton won two SEC Championships and the 2021 NCAA Championships, Florida’s first national title, over the course of his college career.

He finished the 2021-22 season as the top-ranked collegiate tennis player in the US as both the SEC and National Player of the Year.

Since the start of his professional career, Shelton played hard and fast, quickly rising through the rankings while defeating some notable opponents.

Then, 2023 proved to be his breakout year with a run to his first Major semifinal at the 2023 US Open and claiming his maiden ATP title at the 2023 Japan Open Tennis Championships. He cracked the Top 20 with a spot at World No. 15 after winning his first title.

A second tour title came in 2024 in Houston on clay, and Shelton became the youngest American No. 1 since Andy Roddick in 2004. He reached a second Major semifinal at the 2025 Australian Open, falling to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in straight sets.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the American’s rise is his killer serve, one he can serve at up to 150 mph.

As a lefty, his kick serve proves dangerous to top-ranked players, averaging at 126 mph in placements all around the service box. It’s a serve that’s helped him take advantage of key moments to avoid service breaks while relying on speed and net play to break others.

Shelton is back in action tomorrow morning at the Queen’s Club in London as the sixth seed, where he looks to play for his first ATP 500 title.

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