Shelton Secures Dominant Straight-Set Victory in BMW Open Final

Ben Shelton earned his fifth Tour title by defeating Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-5, and in doing so, acknowledged that clay is gradually becoming one of his preferred surfaces. Shelton's victory marked his second clay title and made him the first American to win three ATP 500 titles. This win also served as redemption for his loss to Alexander Zverev in the final the previous year. Looking ahead to Roland Garros, Shelton expressed his ambitions for the clay courts, a surface he aims to improve on each year. He stated, 'I came out at a really high level and I've done that before against him. The toughest thing is maintaining it against him as he raises his level.' Shelton's performance improved throughout the week, and he was pleased with the work he and his team put in. The match's tone was set early on, with Shelton breaking Cobolli's serve in the first game. Shelton's win also made him the first American since Andre Agassi in 2002 to win a title on clay above the ATP 250 level. In another match, Arthur Fils defeated Andrey Rublev 6-2, 7-6 (2) to win his first title since 2024 at the Barcelona Open.