Ben Shelton closing in on career-defining rankings breakthrough after Indian Wells win

Kevin Palmer 12 Mar 2025 8:40 PM

Ben Shelton celebrates

Ben Shelton is lapping up the conditions at the Indian Wells Masters and now he is eyeing up what would be a career-defining rankings leap.

Shelton became the youngest American quarter-finalist in Indian Wells since Andy Roddick in 2004 as he saw off Brandon Nakashima 7-6(6), 6-1 to storm into his third ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

The power-packed game of Shelton has been too hot to handle for his opponents in the opening rounds in Indian Wells and now he has secured a big rankings boost after his latest win.

Shelton’s progress in the Californian desert has seen him climb to No 12 in the live ATP Rankings, which would equal a career-high for the 22-year-old.

If he was to go all the way and win the Indian Wells Masters, Shelton would be assured of a place in the top 10 of the updated rankings for the first time in his career.

A run to the final may also be good enough to see him break into the top 10, with his confidence rising in a season that also saw him make an appearance in the Australian Open semi-finals in January.

“For me the second set was outstanding. Whenever you can get a two break win in a set against a server like him is really encouraging for where my level is at,” said Shelton.

“I am pleased with my performance today. I think there are things I am trying to add into my game each week and I am trying to implement them this week.

“Sometimes things don’t work all the time. I make execution errors. I feel my intent has been really good this week and that has been a huge part of my success.”

“I feel confident. It is a big goal for me to keep improving and keep going deeper in the big events.

“I had some success at Slams and Masters are a big goal for me this year because they are so many throughout the year and high stakes. I am pleased to be in another quarter-final but I am searching for more.”

Shelton’s rise is another good news story for American tennis, with former USA Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe telling Tennis365 that optimism is rising for his nation.

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Yet he admits the challenge for players like Shelton and USA No 1 Taylor Fritz is trying to use the platform they have given themselves to push for Grand Slam title success.

“It is a very good time for American tennis and the hope is it can become a great time,” said McEnroe, speaking exclusively to Tennis365 in his role as joint-President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“Can any of these guys we have in the top 30 of the rankings win a major? I think the answer to that question is yes, it is possible. But it is going to be difficult.

“The problem is Carlos Alcaraz is not going anywhere and we also have a guy who is on a three-month suspension in Jannik Sinner and he will be back very soon.

“Those two guys are so good and they look like they are going to dominate the tournaments like [Roger] Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic did for many years.

“Shelton has a lot of upsides and has a big game. Fritz is solid as a rock and he is going to be there after getting to the US Open final.

“We never said we could create a new Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi, but what we thought we could do is help to create a lot of winners and we are doing that now, with Korda also in the mix and Michelsen doing well at this year’s Australian Open.

“Getting to that promised land and winning a Grand Slam title is not going to be easy.”