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Ben Shelton makes American tennis history with Round of 16 appearance at Wimbledon

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko07/05/25nickkosko59

US tennis star Ben Shelton advanced to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon Saturday and made American history. The former Florida tennis player, who’s just 22 years old, made it to the Round of 16 in all three grand slam tournaments in 2025 to this point.

With that, he became the first American player to do so since Andy Roddick did it in 2004. The United States, at least in men’s tennis, have lacked a big time start from the states. But, Shelton and fellow Americans Taylor Fritz and Francis Tiafoe, among others, have risen in recent years.

Shelton will play Lorenzo Sonego in the next round. He’s on the same side of the draw as No. 1 seed, Italian Jannick Sinner.

“Yeah, I had a lot of fun,” Shelton said on the ABC broadcast Saturday. “It’s always special playing here at Wimbledon. This is my third time playing here on court one. It’s a special court, special atmosphere. I love that I got to play another time here this year, and hopefully I get a few more matches on one of these two big courts. So I’m trying to make my way to Center Court. Maybe I’ll get there one day.”

Shelton’s Round of 16 appearance ties him for his best run at Wimbledon with last year. He recently made it to the semifinals of this year’s Australian Open and was a semifinalist at the 2023 US Open Tournament. He made the Round of 16 at the French Open last month.

As previously mentioned, Shelton will take on Songeo in the next round. He’s 3-1 against him lifetime.

“Yeah, he’s a great player,” Shelton said. “I played him tight in Australia this year. I played him tight, and then Roland Garros. It’s only fitting that, you know, we match up here, and Wimbledon. So it’ll be a tough one. I know he’s playing great. The grass is a great service for him. Big serve, big forehand, high energy. It’ll be difficult, but I like my chances right now, the way that I’m playing, the way that, you know, the crowd is helping with the energy, and we’re gonna keep this thing rolling.”

Shelton’s still looking for his first professional tournament win and has a career record of 92-67. He’s currently ranked No. 10 in the world as reflected by his Wimbledon seeding.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Shelton switched focus from football to tennis around the time he was a teenager. Eventually, he made his way to Florida where he helped the Gators win the SEC Tournament Championship, won the 2022 NCAA Singles Championship and was named SEC and National Player of the Year.