Ben Shelton claimed his fifth Tour title with a resounding 6-2, 7-5 victory over Flavio Cobolli, admitting that clay is gradually becoming one of his preferred surfaces. Shelton avenged his loss to Alexander Zverev in the final the previous 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 on clay as Roland Garros approaches.
Last year, he was eliminated 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 raises his game.' He added, 'I was able to do that in the second set, staying strong when he played exceptional tennis and ultimately winning in straight sets.' Shelton expressed satisfaction with his performance, noting that he improved throughout the week and was pleased with the work he and his team put in. He said, 'I have big aspirations for the clay courts, a surface I want to improve on each year, and it's slowly becoming one of my favorite surfaces to compete on.' The match's tone was set early, with Shelton breaking Cobolli's serve in the first game and then defending six break points in his first service game.
Cobolli, who had played an exceptional match the day before to defeat Zverev and reach his second Tour final this year, was unable to replicate that level of 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.
Meanwhile, Arthur Fils overcame 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, secured his fourth ATP title with the victory.