Ben Shelton claimed his fifth Tour title with a convincing 6-2, 7-5 victory over Flavio Cobolli, admitting that clay is gradually becoming a surface he excels on. Shelton avenged his loss to Alexander Zverev in the final last year, winning his second clay title and making history as the first American to win three ATP 500 titles. Following his win, Shelton expressed his ambitions for the upcoming Roland Garros, having been knocked out in the round of 16 last year by Carlos Alcaraz.
"I started at a high level, and I've done that before against him," Shelton said. "The challenge is maintaining that level as he raises his game. I managed to do that in the second set, hanging in there when he played exceptional tennis, and ultimately won in straight sets.
I'm pleased with my performance this week, improving with each match, and I'm grateful for the work my team and I put in. My goal is to continue improving on clay each year, and it's slowly becoming one of my preferred surfaces.
This win is just the beginning of a long journey, and we'll see what the future holds. The tone of the match was set early, with Shelton breaking Cobolli's serve in the first game and fending off six break points in his first service game. Shelton's victory also makes 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. Meanwhile, Arthur Fils overcame Andrey Rublev 6-2, 7-6 (2) to win his first title since 2024 at the Barcelona Open on Sunday, securing his fourth ATP title.