Just before his first encounter with the in-form Aussie, Alex de Minaur, American superstar Ben Shelton heaped praise on his opponent, saying, “He’s a dawg. I’m ready for it. He’s very fast. He’s in a great rhythm; you saw what he did in DC. He’s a great front-runner, and you can never count him out when he’s down.” He was well aware of the threat in this match against ‘Demon’, who recently clinched the title at the 2025 Citi Open. ‘Big Ben’ sealed an impressive 6-3,6-4 win against the Aussie with the help of his monstrous serves and high-kicking forehand. He fired 13 aces in this 91-minute encounter, and now, he’s all set to face Taylor Fritz in the SF.

Ben Shelton clubbed 8 forehand winners and capitalized on an unusual 28 unforced errors from Alex de Minaur. The American also won 32 baseline points to De Minaur’s 29! With this win, Shelton has now reached his first career Masters 1000 SF. After the match, in a clip uploaded on X by Tennis TV, an interviewer told Shelton that his father, Bryan Shelton, had mentioned that he doesn’t want Shelton to be involved in long rallies with De Minaur in this match. However, Shelton seemed perplexed. According to Shelton, he was under the impression that long rallies were part of the ‘game plan’. 

Ben Shelton replied, “I don’t know what he was talking about, but I thought that was part of the game plan. For me, I think a lot of guys see me as just a server. Someone who can serve, and not as much of a baseliner or grinder. For me. I think psychologically, when I go into a match like a locked-down mode and put a million balls in the court, my normal rally ball does come on with a bit of weight, and it’s not like I’m just pushing in the court. I think I surprise guys sometimes at times.“

The 22-year-old American further went on to add, “For me, being able to win those longer rallies, be comfortable in my own skin out there on the court, and not feel that I’m rushing to make something happen is a huge part of my evolution.” This confirms that long rallies are definitely in Shelton’s strategy book. He believes that this aids his evolution in the world of tennis.

Ben Shelton has now become the youngest American Masters 1000 semi-finalist since Andy Roddick’s heroics, almost 20 years ago in Indian Wells. But when it comes to his relationship with his father-cum-coach, Bryan Shelton, once in an interview with Tennis Magazin, Ben Shelton revealed, “We occasionally have our disagreements, but they are constructive. My dad’s experience and insights are invaluable, and we both try to use these discussions to improve my game.”

He believes that his dad is the best person when it comes to understanding where he is mentally, knowing when to push him and to allow him the space he needs to win. His father is his biggest inspiration, and during the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, Shelton spoke about his father’s expectations when it comes to delivering in the game.

“He was in the round of 16 here 31 years ago. He loved a serve and volley. He had a big serve, came forward all the time. He’d like to see me come forward more than I am. My argument is that I think I’m better than him from the baseline,” said Shelton. His performance against Alex de Minaur was really impressive, but now it’ll be interesting to see if he can really hold on to this momentum.

Ben Shelton is pleased with his brand of tennis against ‘Demon’

After his second-round win at the Canadian Open, Ben Shelton spoke about his goals for the rest of the season. Needless to say, the 2023 semifinalist will be eyeing a better finish this year at the US Open after losing out to his compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the third round in the previous edition. The purpose behind this year’s aspiration is more. Shelton also has a different goal this season.

“Turin is a big goal for me. I’ve never really, at this point of the year, been in a position where I’ve given myself a chance to make it there,” said Ben Shelton. All he wants now is to solidify his spot at the top of the list and finish the year on a high note.

With his recent win over Alex de Minaur, he has moved inside the cut for the Nitto ATP Finals, and he’s now placed at the seventh spot in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin. Reacting to his incredible win against the Aussie, Shelton said, “I’m really happy with the win; it showed a lot of mental toughness. He’s broken me a million times in practice, and he’s a really tough competitor. I served out the sets confidently, and I’m really excited about the chance to be in the semi-finals.”

In the SF, he’ll be facing someone who has been having a burst in form recently. He had a stellar outing in the grass-court swing. Taylor Fritz won titles at the Boss Open and Eastbourne Open. Other than that, Fritz also reached the SF of Wimbledon this year. However, before the Canadian Open, he got knocked out of the Citi Open by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the QF. Surely, he’ll be keen to make it all the way to the finals this time in this tournament. Shelton currently trails Fritz by 0-1.

Before this all-American clash, the 22-year-old heaped praise on the world number 4 by saying, “He’s a big-match player. He’s been carrying the flag for the United States in the big tournaments as of late. He’s clutch, serves well.” Who do you think has the edge in this match?