Ben Shelton made better rounds than his father-turned coach Brian in 1994, defeating Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 7-5 to reach his first Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Shelton, a 22-year-old American, improved to 3-0 against Italian Sonego in grand slam action this season. It’s the first time that two men have faced each other in the first three majors of the year since John McEnroe went 3-0 with Jimmy Connors in 1984.
Shelton, the 10th seeded, eliminated Sonego in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January, and eliminated the first round of the French Open in May.
“Every time I needed a big point, he came up with a highlight shot,” Shelton said.
Shelton thrives this latest meeting, beating 47th place Sonego, avoiding heading towards the tiebreaker, throwing his head back and screaming “Come!” And then smacks him on the chest.
“I’m happy with how I played that last game. That’s my best tennis, my best return and that’s what I need to continue this tournament,” No. Shelton said he went on to face Jannik Sinner of 1 or Grigor Dimitrov of 19. “So, having me finish a game with that kind of game gives me the confidence to move forward.”
Shelton became the fourth Black American to reach the quarterfinals at the All-England club since the opening era began, joining Arthur Ashe (3 times), Mariby Washington (1996) and Christopher Eubanks (2023).
Ash (UCLA), Washington (Michigan) and Eubanks (Georgia Tech) all played college tennis.
Shelton joined No. 5 Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals, extending the run where two American men reached the final eight in five consecutive slams. It was the longest winning streak, as it happened in 24 straight majors from France in 1991 to the Australian Open in 1997.
Shelton is the youngest American to arrive at a Wimbledon quarters since Andy Roddick did that in 2004. He previously played the semi-finals at the 2023 US Open, and held the Australian Open this year.
In the stands of the 1st courtroom were his sister Emma, Shelton’s parents. He was stranded at an All-England club after publicly pleading with her that he had to return to her job at Morgan Stanley on Monday, as originally planned – and his girlfriend, the US soccer team Star Trinity Rodman.
“There are a lot of people out there that I like,” Shelton said in an on-court interview.
He believed his father stimulated the way he played at Grass Court.
“He was in 16 rounds here – 31 years ago? A gift or take. He was a serve and boria. He was a big serve. He always moved forward. I want to see him come out a little further ahead of me.
But he also shows that Shelton has the knack for success on a smooth surface, calling it “vintage style” tennis, cutting off angles, and making up what constitutes what is commonly referred to as “a little unpredictable.”
Against Sonego, Shelton scored points on 43 of his 58 trips to the net.
ESPN research and Associated Press contributed to this report.
