{"id":86997,"date":"2025-07-16T11:40:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T15:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=86997"},"modified":"2025-07-16T11:40:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T15:40:14","slug":"ben-shelton-bad-luck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/07\/16\/ben-shelton-bad-luck\/","title":{"rendered":"At the US Open, Ben Shelton Can Complete the Calendar Year Slam of Bad Luck"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been almost 8,000 days since an American male tennis player<\/a> last won a Grand Slam title. That moment came on September 7, 2003, when Andy Roddick triumphed at the US Open<\/a>. Since then, no other American man–excluding Roddick himself, who went on to lose four more finals, all to Roger Federer–has come close to replicating that success. Even though Taylor Fritz reached the final in New York last year, he stood no chance against Jannik Sinner.<\/p>\n

American Tennis Bets on Fritz and Shelton<\/h2>\n

After a disappointing first half of the year, Fritz seems to have gotten back on track, making it to the semifinals at Wimbledon<\/a> and coming just one point short of forcing a fifth set against two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz. However, the American player who has performed the best in Grand Slams in 2025 has undoubtedly been Ben Shelton<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At Wimbledon once again, the 22-year-old from Atlanta proved that he thrives under the spotlight. He has been consistent throughout the year–a key reason for his debut in the Top 10–but it\u2019s in the Slams that he truly shines. The results speak for themselves: in 2025, he has improved on his previous best performances at all three Majors played so far–reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open<\/a>, the fourth round at the French Open<\/a>, and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Of course, doing even better in New York will be challenging, as it would require him to reach at least the final, but it\u2019s not impossible.<\/p>\n

Despite all these accomplishments, Shelton can\u2019t be fully satisfied. A player of his ambition plays to win, and so far, he has struggled significantly against the game\u2019s elite. Jannik Sinner<\/a> leads their head-to-head 6\u20131, having won the last 15 sets (including all six tiebreaks), while Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> holds a 3\u20130 lead. While Shelton is still young and has plenty of room to grow, this particular stat is hard to ignore.<\/p>\n

A Streak of Bad Luck<\/h3>\n

Another aspect worth highlighting is Shelton\u2019s undeniable bad luck during the 2025 Grand Slam season. Much has been said about his uncanny habit of running into Lorenzo Sonego in all three Majors–defeating him in the quarterfinals in Melbourne, the first round in Paris, and the fourth round in London. However, what\u2019s been mentioned far less is that Shelton was eliminated by the eventual champion in all three Slams.<\/p>\n

At the Australian Open, it was Jannik Sinner who beat him in the semifinals. At the French Open, it was Carlos Alcaraz who defeated him in the fourth round. And at Wimbledon, Sinner once again got the better of him.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>