Ben Shelton outlines the one thing he felt was missing from his performance in Monte Carlo after making the Munich Open final

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Ben Shelton explained the difference between his performances in Monte Carlo compared to the Munich Open.

The 22-year-old became the first American to reach the final in Germany following a comeback semi-final victory against Francisco Cerundolo.

The Argentine convincingly won the first set but Shelton edged a second set tiebreak before breaking Cerundolo’s serve in set three to seal an important win.

Ben Shelton has now reached his first final of 2025 and will aim to secure a first title of the season and second on clay.

Ben Shelton says what he was ‘lacking’ in Monte Carlo after reaching the Munich Open final

Shelton took two hours and seven to record what some may deem a surprise victory over Cerundolo, who plays much of his best tennis on clay.

The World number 15 is still learning how to play on clay, but he has certainly raised his level in Munich, from Monte Carlo, where Shelton lost in the opening round to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

After reaching the Munich Open final, Shelton explained why his performances in Germany have been vastly different to his three-set defeat in Monaco.

“It was tough conditions going from really cold to really warm, but it was a hard fight to see who could compete the hardest,” Shelton said.

“I’ve played some great clay court players here and I’m learning some things from them on the court.

“I’m not too stressed right now, I’m just competing and enjoying myself. I feel like that was one thing that was lacking when I was playing in Monte Carlo last week.”

Ben Shelton makes American history by reaching Munich Open final

Shelton’s latest victory means he is into the Munich Open final, somewhere no other American player has gone before.

He is the first player from the United States to reach an ATP 500 final on clay since tournaments at this level came into operation in 2009.

Shelton will face either Alexander Zverev or Fábián Marozsán in Sunday’s final, and he is learning more about how to well on clay each and every day. “Not everything is straightforward and perfect on the clay,” Shelton added.

“You’re going to get your serve broken more but you can also break the opponent’s serve more, and you’re going to get some bad bounces but they are too. I think dealing with adversity and adapting makes a great court player, and I’m trying to learn day by day.”