Ben Shelton will be in the world’s top 10 for the first time in his career following the conclusion of the Stuttgart Open, where he made the semi-finals.
Shelton lost to Zverev in the final four for the ATP 250, but can hold his head high as he departs the German city, having secured such a difficult milestone at the age of 22.
His achievement marks the first time that three American men have been ranked in the top 10 for the first time in nearly 20 years.
The last time three ATP players from the US occupied such positions was in 2006, when Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and James Blake were flying the flag at the top of men’s tennis.
Now, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, and Shelton have matched the feat of their compatriots from the mid-2000s.
The three, however, are yet to win a Grand Slam title, with the last player from the country to win a men’s major championship coming in 2003, when Roddick lifted the US Open.
Though the treble of countrymen have multiple tour-level titles between them and have all shown signs of improvement recently, one of them is much more likely to win a maiden Grand Slam than the others.
The next most likely American to win a Grand Slam title
Shelton, Fritz, and Paul have all made at least the semi-final of a Grand Slam in the last three years.
Paul made the semi-finals at the Australian Open in 2023, where he ultimately lost to Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
The other two have enjoyed final four appearances more recently, with Fritz advancing all the way to the US Open final last year and Shelton reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2025.
In the case of Fritz and Paul, aged 27 and 28, respectively, it’s unclear how much more they can improve as they enter their prime years.
Despite making the final at Flushing Meadows, the world number seven still looked a long way off from the level of Jannik Sinner in their showdown on Arthur Ashe in September, and he’ll have to make some drastic changes to his game should he hope to defeat the Italian at a major in the future.
With Shelton, however, still in his early 20s and with parts of his game he is yet to iron out, a Grand Slam title seems within reach, having already made the semi-finals twice.
When picking the most likely American to compete with Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz for the grandest prizes in the future, the newest member of the ATP top 10 is the clear choice.
Ben Shelton’s two appearances in Grand Slam semi-finals
Shelton made his first semi-final at a Grand Slam in 2023 at the US Open after a promising first five matches at the tournament.
His opponent came in the form of Djokovic, who was having one of the best seasons of his career, and swept aside the young star in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6.
After a year of not being able to make it past the fourth round at majors, Shelton reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2025.
In Melbourne, it was Sinner who got the better of him, as the world number one cruised to victory after a closely contested first-set tiebreak.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
