Ben Shelton reached a landmark victory over Andrey Rublev at the Paris Masters, which helped him break an American tennis streak.
Shelton has overcome his poor form in Asia to cement himself inside the top eight ahead of the ATP Finals.
The American has officially qualified for the Turin event thanks to his straight sets victory against Rublev in Paris.
Shelton has helped break an American tennis streak that dated back to 2006 by qualifying for the year-end event.
Ben Shelton helps make American tennis history
Shelton became the second American man to qualify for the ATP Finals after Taylor Fritz confirmed his place at the event.
Two American men will play at the event for the first time since 2006, when James Blake and Andy Roddick qualified for the tournament.
Roddick entered the tournament as the fifth seed, while Blake snuck into the tournament as the final seed at World No. 8.
Blake tasted more success at the tournament, however, as he made it all the way through to the final of the Shanghai event.
His tournament was ended at the hands of Roger Federer, who defeated the American in straight sets in the final.
Shelton will be playing the tournament for the first time, but Fritz has history at the year-end tournament, having reached the final in 2024.
The last American to win the ATP Finals
Shelton and Fritz will certainly be feeling the pressure at the ATP Finals, as there has not been an American winner this century.
The last American man to win the ATP Finals was Pete Sampras, who lifted the trophy in Hanover when he defeated Andre Agassi in the final.
Since then, America has had three finalists at the tournament, with Agassi losing out again in 2003, as well as Blake in 2006, and Fritz in 2024.
In the history of the tournament, however, Americans have fared well. Sampras has won the tournament five times, while John McEnroe has lifted the trophy on three occasions.
The first-ever winner of the tournament was American too, with Stan Smith winning the inaugural competition in 1970.
