Tennis: How American young gun Ben Shelton has cracked ATP’s top-100 – without getting his passport stamped

Young American tennis player Ben Shelton had better get used to international travel.

Up until a few weeks ago, the 20-year-old Atlanta native had never been out of the United States, despite managing to work
his way into the ATP’s top-100.

It’s an unusual path – especially in tennis – but then again Shelton is an unusual talent, with his rise of more than 450 places in the rankings last year to 98, which included a win over Auckland top seed Casper Ruud in Cincinnati.

But how did he climb the tennis ladder without ever stamping his passport?

“I never played ITF [events],” explained Shelton. “In the juniors, I stayed in the States and played the local USTA tournaments and then I played in college for two years. So I wasn’t traveling, I didn’t have time to travel over the summer.”

“I would just play Futures and Challengers in the States and that was kind of the same thing going into last fall.”

Shelton was planning to continue at University in 2023, before his strong results convinced him otherwise.

“It was definitely an interesting pathway for me compared to others,” said Shelton.

It also offers a different perspective to many tennis peers, who can already be jaded after years of globetrotting.

“I’m calling this my year of firsts, my first time doing a lot of things, so I’m enjoying being out here,” said Shelton.

He wants to make the most of every visit, already identifying Waiheke Island and Piha as two local spots he wants to experience this week.

But the priority is on court and he made the best possible start, with an impressive 7-6 (1) 6-1 win over seventh seed Sebastian Baez in the ASB Classic first round on Tuesday.

In only his fourth ATP tournament, Shelton felt an extra wait of expectation after being granted a wild card.

“I don’t know if it’s pressure, but I really want to do well when I get a wild card and make people feel like it’s worth it and [show] there’s a reason that I’m here,” said Shelton.

World No 43 Baez is a tricky opponent, who reached three ATP finals last year, winning in Estoril.

But Shelton was too strong, with his powerful forehand and heavy serve, along with angles that only left handers can generate.

He got over the disappointment of missing four set points at 5-4 in the first bracket to then steamroll through the tiebreak, before breaking the Argentinian twice in the second set, then converting his second match point.

“I thought I did a really good job, staying composed throughout the first set and really hitting my stride in the second set,” said Shelton. “I had a difficult week last week in Adelaide (lost in the first round of qualifying) and this being my first time out of the United States, I was glad with my ability to adapt.”