Ben Shelton claimed his fifth Tour title with a convincing 6-2, 7-5 victory over Flavio Cobolli, admitting that clay is gradually becoming one of his preferred surfaces. Shelton's win marked his second clay title and made him the first American to win three ATP 500 titles. Following his victory, Shelton hinted at his clay court ambitions as Roland Garros approaches. Last year, Shelton was knocked out in the round of 16 by Carlos Alcaraz, who went on to win the tournament.
Shelton stated, "I started at a high level, which I've done before against him. The challenge is maintaining that level as he improves his game.
I managed to do that in the second set, staying focused when he played exceptional tennis, and ultimately won in straight sets. I'm pleased with my performance this week, as I continuously improved and am grateful for the work my team and I put in. My goal is to get better on clay each year, and it's slowly becoming one of my favorite surfaces. The match's tone was set early, with Shelton breaking Cobolli's serve in the first game and then fending off six break points in his first service game.
Cobolli, who had played one of his best matches the previous day to defeat Zverev and reach his second Tour final this year, was unable to replicate that finesse in the final. 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, having won his first clay title in Houston in 2024.
In another match, Arthur Fils overcame Andrey Rublev 6-2, 7-6 (2) to win his first title since 2024 at the Barcelona Open on Sunday. The Frenchman, who returned to action in February after nearly eight months out due to injury, secured his fourth ATP title with the victory. Fils quickly won the first set in 31 minutes but failed to capitalize on seven break points as Rublev stayed alive in the match at 2-2 in the second set.