Ben Shelton has made a winning return to clay-court tennis, winning his first match in almost a year at the Houston Open.
He is the top seed at the Houston Open, where Shelton needed one win to become America’s number one, replacing Taylor Fritz.
And Shelton has now done exactly that, although he was pushed all the way by ATP rival Zhang Zhizhen on home soil.
But after one hour and 53 minutes, the home favorite finally emerged victorious via a 7-6(7-5), 7-6(7-3) win in Texas.
He now turns his focus to Thiago Agustin Tirante, but first was on hand to analyze his return to clay following his switch from hard courts.
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Ben Shelton produces serving masterclass in first Houston Open win
Shelton said after the win: “It was my first match in almost a year on clay.
“I didn’t feel that comfortable playing from the baseline yet, it’s just something that’s going to take time and take a few matches.
“I knew I had to be effective with my serve tonight and hit a few aces, and I’m happy that I did.”
By “a few aces”, Shelton really meant 21, which typified his serving masterclass in the hard-fought victory.
He also finished the match with 72% first serve figure, a 74% first serve points won figure, and a 75% second serve points won figure, as per the ATP stats.
That arrived despite the American last playing a clay-court tournament at last year’s French Open, where he reached the quarterfinals.
| Ben Shelton | Zhang Zhizhen | |
| 330 | Serve rating | 302 |
| 21 | Aces | 12 |
| 2 | Double faults | 3 |
| 61/85 (72%) | First serve | 48/82 (59%) |
| 45/61 (74%) | 1st serve points won | 40/48 (83%) |
| 18/24 (75%) | 2nd serve points won | 19/34 (56%) |
| 1/1 (100%) | Break points saved | 1/1 (100%) |
| 12 | Service games played | 12 |
Where Ben Shelton can improve after starting his clay-court season
While Shelton was ruthless with his serving, there is improvement to be made when it comes to his return.
He won just 17% of his first serve return points and 28% of his return points, having also failed to convert his only break point.
But the 23-year-old will undoubtedly improve with more time and matches on clay, the next of which is a quarterfinal with Tirante.
| Ben Shelton | Zhang Zhizhen | |
| 61 | Return rating | 51 |
| 8/48 (17%) | 1st serve return points won | 16/61 (26%) |
| 15/34 (44%) | 2nd serve return points won | 6/24 (25%) |
| 0/1 (0%) | Break points converted | 0/1 (0%) |
| 12 | Return games played | 12 |
The Argentine has been playing the role of the villain at the Houston Open, having already knocked out American pair Colton Smith and Mackenzie McDonald.
But he now faces his toughest test yet against Shelton, who will be boosted by the fact that he won the tournament in 2024.
Becoming the new American number one will also give him real confidence, which is timely after he disappointingly went 1-2 across Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
But success in Houston won’t come easily, with Learner Tien – who beat him at Indian Wells – among his potential semifinal opponents.
Shelton’s fellow Americans Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul are then among his potential final opponents should he make it that far this week.
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