Ben Shelton secured his fifth Tour title, overpowering Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-5, and admitted that clay is gradually becoming a preferred surface for him. Shelton avenged his loss to Alexander Zverev in last year's final, claiming his second clay title and making history as the first American to win three ATP 500 titles. Following his win, Shelton expressed his aspirations for success on clay as Roland Garros approaches.
He was eliminated in the round of 16 last year by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. Shelton stated, "I started at an extremely high level, which I've done before against him. The challenge is maintaining that level as he elevates his game. I managed to do that in the second set, staying competitive when he played exceptional tennis, and ultimately won in straight sets.
I'm pleased with my performance this week, continually improving and grateful for the effort my team and I put in. Looking ahead, I have high ambitions for clay courts, a surface I aim to improve on each year, and it's slowly becoming one of my favorites. This is just the beginning of a long journey, and we'll see what happens.
The tone of the match was established early, with Shelton breaking Cobolli's serve in the first game and then defending six break points in his first service game. Shelton's victory also made him the first American since Andre Agassi in 2002 to win a clay title above the ATP 250 level, having won his first clay title in Houston in 2024.
In another match, Arthur Fils defeated Andrey Rublev 6-2, 7-6 (2) to win his first title since 2024 at the Barcelona Open on Sunday. Fils, who returned to action in February after nearly eight months out due to injury, claimed his fourth ATP title with the win.