Ben Shelton lost his first match at the ATP Finals on Sunday, defeated by world number three Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
Regardless of what happens at the ATP Finals, Shelton has enjoyed an excellent year on Tour, and it will be interesting to see if he can challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026.
Shelton has rocketed up the rankings this year, recently usurping his ‘great friend’ Taylor Fritz to become the American number one for the first time.
The American won his first Masters 1000 title in August at the Canadian Open, adding to the titles he won in 2023 and 2024.
Fans of Shelton will hope he can achieve more success in 2026, and the American will hope to achieve further success at a tournament he won in 2024.
Ben Shelton is set to play in the 2026 Houston Open
Shelton, who has been labelled an ATP Finals ‘dark horse’, is set to play at the 2026 Houston Open – the US’s only ATP Tour clay court event.
Shelton will return to Houston for the first time since winning the 2024 title, as he did not participate in the 2025 tournament.
At the 2024 Houston Open, Shelton defeated Zizou Bergs, Brandon Nakashima and Tomas Etcheverry to reach the final.
In the final, Shelton defeated compatriot Frances Tiafoe 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, winning his second ATP Tour title after winning the 2023 Japan Open.
Shelton is bidding to win a fourth ATP Tour title at the ATP Finals, but will likely need to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jannik Sinner to advance to the semi-finals.
Shelton’s record against Sinner and Auger-Aliassime
Fans of Ben Shelton may want to look away when reading about the American’s record against Jannik Sinner and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
At the 2023 Shanghai Masters, Shelton won his first contest against Sinner, defeating the Italian 2-6, 6-3, 7-6.
Unfortunately for Shelton, he has since lost seven consecutive matches against Sinner.
Most recently, Sinner defeated Shelton at the 2025 Paris Masters, winning the contest 6-3, 6-3.
As for Auger-Aliassime, Shelton has played the Canadian once before on the ATP Tour. At the 2024 French Open, Auger-Aliassime defeated Shelton 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.
