Ben Shelton has just been in his element for the past month. Yes, the door to the semis was shut after losing to World No.1 Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon. But despite all that, he went on to win his maiden ATP title of the season in Washington. Riding with the same momentum, winning a  1000 title wasn’t a dream anymore – he turned it into reality. In Toronto, the world No.6 proved his mettle. He declared war on the US Open title. He’s no longer the one to watch out for. Some of the biggest names in the world of tennis acknowledge him now, and they believed Shelton can bring home the most coveted title to home ground after two decades.

Shelton bested Karen Khachanov last week to clinch his first-ever 1000-level title. He dominated the Russian pro despite trailing in the first set. Eventually, he fought hard and didn’t give up until he saw himself on the podium, with a score line of 6-7, 6-4, 7-6(3). Following Shelton’s heroics in the Canadian Open, former American pros like Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey have come forward to back his chances at the biggest stages in the near future. He may have to go through the SinCaraz test at some point or the other, but still he’s expected to carve out his own path to, perhaps, emerge as a disruptor.

During an episode of the Nothing Major podcast, Johnson couldn’t get enough of Shelton as he praised him. “It is remarkable. He is insane, his growth on the tennis court is, just like, every few months there’s just like another big piece to his game that’s getting better or there’s a hole that’s kind of getting shored up where it’s, okay like a year ago, two years ago, like maybe his backhand’s gonna let him down. And now you watch him play these matches and it might let him down for a game or two but over the course of a match, over the course of a tournament, he’s getting better and better.”

Johnson knows that reaching the levels of Sinner, Alcaraz, and even Djokovic is tough right now. But according to him, Shelton’s working on it constantly, and it shows. Especially his physicality is “unmatched on tour. I know Sinner, Alcaraz, these guys and Novak are in incredible shape. And just walking around, seeing him (Ben) at the courts this week here in Cincinnati, I mean he’s built like a Mack Truck.” Per him, his incredible fitness is the main reason why “he’s done well at slams” in 2025 alone. In Melbourne, he reached the semis, followed by a quarterfinal run in Paris. He replicated a similar performance at the grass major too.

Johnson went on to say that Shelton’s “still going to get better and better and better. He’s not even close to his peak of his tennis yet.” To this, Querrey responded with his own gut feeling. He said, “Sinner, Alcaraz I trust the most. Ben is slowly getting to, like, the third guy that I trust the most in big moments, whether there’s the Masters series or slams to, like, pull through.”

Steve further lauded “his slam results, like, he’s making second weeks of all these slams. He’s making deep runs and then he’s loosing to Jannik, Carlos, and Novak. Like he’s not losing to anybody else when he gets to these moments. So he’s just, he’s gonna figure it out. Like I trust wholeheartedly that he, and Brian, and his team will figure it out.” The ex-ATP pro concluded his remarks with a big Grand Slam claim for the 22-year-0ld. “I still think it’s he and Taylor (Fritz) that are gonna be the first Americans to win the slam.” 

For the uninitiated, it’s been 22 years since an American man won a major title. Last time, it was Andy Roddick who lifted the US Open trophy in 2003. During the summit clash, he bested Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

Now, Johnson’s claim about Shelton may not be unrealistic. After all, the youngster has just proven himself as a big-moments player, following the triumph in Toronto. Despite struggling initially, he eventually made his way to glory.

Ben Shelton’s honest reaction after clinching maiden ATP 1000 title

The battle against Khachanov wasn’t a cake walk by any means for Ben Shelton. After the Russian snatched the first set, the American came under pressure. It was two-sided. Firstly, he had to level the fight in the second set. Other than that, he also had to prevent a potential injury scare later in the match.

After securing a win in the second set, Shelton was forced to call for a medical time out (MTO). He had a problem in his quad area (on the front of his thigh). Fortunately, though, it wasn’t concerning and Shelton was able to resume action sooner than later. In the final set, he made it all the way to a thrilling tie-break battle. He decided to not leave loopholes for Khachanov.

The emotions were through the roof after Ben captured his maiden ATP 1000 title. “It’s a surreal feeling,” he reacted during the post-match interview. Pondering over his efforts shown throughout the Canadian Open campaign, he added, “It’s been a long week, not an easy path to the final. My best tennis came out when it mattered most. I was clutch, I persevered, I was resilient. All the qualities I like to see in myself.”

With this victory, Shelton has become the youngest American man to clinch a 1000-level event in 21 years. Back in 2004, his compatriot and ex-pro Roddick won the Miami Open title when he was 21. After Toronto, Shelton is looking in great touch already. In Cincinnati, he’s made it to the R32 after winning the opening encounter. He replaced Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-3, 3-1 when the latter opted to withdraw from the tournament due to an injury.

Next up, Shelton will now face Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut. Do you think he will continue his winning streak from Toronto and eventually lift his second-straight Masters 1000 trophy this month? Let us know in the comments below.