This year, Ben Shelton has played some good clay-court tennis and some quite bad clay-court tennis.
In Houston, a tournament where he was the top seed and a former champion, he suffered an early upset in losing to Thiago Agustin Tirante that sent him to Europe early. But that loss may have been a blessing in disguise as he went on to win Munich the very next week, his first European clay-court title. He looked primed for strong results at the bigger tournaments – especially considering the absence of Carlos Alcaraz – but it wasn’t to be. Shelton lost his opening match in both Madrid and Rome, and as the second seed in Hamburg he lost in the second round to Daniel Altmaier.
For one week this clay season, Shelton played to his ranking and looked like one of the best players in the world. For the rest of it, he could barely win matches. Shelton is seeded fifth at Roland Garros, but his tough draw combined with his recent results have alleviated the expectations that hang over him. Right now, Shelton has the opportunity to play freely, and it could either lead to another early loss or a surprising run. The American clearly has enough talent to make an impact, but it depends on which version of Shelton arrives in Paris.
Ben Shelton: Past French Open Results
Looking at Shelton’s track record at the French Open, he’s been steadily improving. In his first appearance in the tournament in 2023, he lost in the first round to Lorenzo Sonego in four sets. At that point in Shelton’s career, he was extremely inexperienced on clay and though he was seeded and Sonego was not, it wasn’t really an upset.
In 2024, Shelton made it to the third round, where he lost in straight sets to Felix Auger-Aliassime. It still wasn’t a result he was hoping for, but it was a step in the right direction.
He managed to play to his seed in 2025 with a run to the round of 16, including revenge on Sonego in the first round. But what was truly impressive about his 2025 run was that in that round of 16 match, he pushed eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz, even taking a set.
This Year’s Challenges
Looking at the quarter Shelton has landed it, what immediately stands out is that the quarter belongs to top seed and heavy favourite Jannik Sinner who arrives in Paris having won five Masters 1000 titles in a row and unbeaten since February. But Shelton can’t afford to look ahead to the projected quarterfinals.
In the first round, Shelton will play Daniel Merida, a rising player who has had some success on clay this year. This is by no means an easy first round, but Shelton has a massive advantage of being much more experienced in best-of-five as well enough firepower that he should be able to hit through the Spaniard.
Further up in Shelton’s section, though, the potential opponents only get tougher. Former Roland Garros finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, French player Alexandre Muller, and ninth seed Alexander Bublik are just a few of the players Shelton could face if he goes deeper in the tournament.
Shelton is a player who tends to bring his best tennis at Grand Slams, but things are a little different at the French Open. There are no past results to lean on, no momentum coming in, and doubt in every round. Despite his high seeding and semi-recent clay title, there is no certainty for Shelton at this tournament. And that just might bring out his best tennis at the right time.
Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
