Ben Shelton has secured a second title of the 2026 ATP season in Munich.
The American world number six overcame the resistance of Flavio Cobolli, defeating the Italian 6-2, 7-5 in Sunday’s final.
Shelton performed superbly throughout the contest and has demonstrated clear improvements on the clay-court surface.
Andy Roddick believes Shelton’s toughest surface is clay, yet the 23-year-old more than proved this week that he is capable of beating his rivals on the surface.
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One statistic stood out from Shelton’s title-winning performance – one that could serve him well at the French Open.
Ben Shelton has the power to challenge the very best on clay
Following Shelton’s victory over Cobolli, Sky Sports broadcast a variety of revealing statistics.
The most notable were the ‘forced errors’ count – particularly the stark difference between Shelton and Cobolli in this category.
Cobolli forced Shelton into 15 errors, while Shelton forced the Italian into making an astonishing 33 errors.
This statistic encapsulates just how powerful a player Ben Shelton is.
While the American only hit 14 winners – the same as Cobolli – he made life extremely difficult for the 23-year-old throughout their contest on Sunday.
The clay suits Shelton the least of all the surfaces at this moment in time. However, the American is continuing to maximise the potential of his powerful serve and forehand.
While Shelton only made 59 per cent of his first serves against Cobolli, he won 85 per cent of those points and had a serve quality rating of 9.2 out of 10.
Ben Shelton’s run in Munich
- Round One: beat Emilio Nava 7-6, 3-6, 6-3
- Round Two: beat Alexander Blockx 6-4, 7-6
- Quarter-finals: beat Joao Fonseca 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
- Semi-finals: beat Alex Molcan 6-3, 6-4
- Final: beat Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-5
Shelton has a monstrous kick serve and a whip-like forehand – both of which are extremely effective on clay as the increased spin forces the ball to kick up even more than on hard or grass courts.
If Shelton can continue to improve these aspects of his game – and his overall clay-court game – there is no reason why he cannot challenge for the French Open title in June.
Ben Shelton’s Roland Garros record
Ben Shelton made his French Open debut in 2023.
The American, seeded 30th, was defeated in the first round by Italian player Lorenzo Sonego, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 3-6.
A year later, Shelton defeated Hugo Gaston and Kei Nishikori before losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round.
Shelton went one better in 2025, reaching the fourth round.
The American beat Sonego and Gaston in the first two rounds, before knocking out Matteo Gigante.
In the fourth round, Shelton was beaten 6-6, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6 by second seed Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz went on to win the title, securing a famous victory over Jannik Sinner in the final.
