Ben Shelton Believes American Men’s Players Have Been Dominated by American Women on Tour

Since Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open, American women have won 25 Grand Slams, while the men haven't won any.

Ben Shelton Believes American Men’s Players Have Been Dominated by American Women on Tour

Ben Shelton (image via National Bank Open)

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With just a few days ahead of the US Open, discussions on who is the favorite to win the title have begun. But one thing is obvious, that American women players are always placed in the category of favorites, more than American men. Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton are the only two American men’s players in the top 10, but both have struggled to prove themselves in major events.

That can hardly be said for the American women, who have reached the final of the last four Grand Slams, winning two in the process. The last male American to win a major title was Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open. Fast-forward twenty-two years, no American man has been able to lift a Grand Slam.

But, American women have won 25 Grand Slam titles since Roddick’s triumph in New York. 17 of them were captured by Serena Williams, while Venus Williams claimed three majors during that period. Coco Gauff claimed two Slams, while Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, and Sofia Kenin all claimed one.

The last time a male American got to the final of a major tournament was at the 2024 US Open. He (Fritz) couldn’t break the jinx as he fell to Jannik Sinner in straight sets. Since then, the best run by an American man was reaching the Wimbledon Championships semi-finals and it was Fritz again who got to that level – but couldn’t beat Carlos Alcaraz.

In an interview with Tennis Channel, Shelton was asked if an American man would finally win a Grand Slam at the 2025 US Open. The 22-year-old revealed that he doesn’t know whether that would happen, but he cannot argue against the fact that American women have been better than their male counterparts on tour:

I don’t know who it will be or when. That’s up for you to debate. But the way things are, the number of young people coming up, the number of players who are at the top, it’s impressive. And we’re just trying to catch up to the girls…I don’t know if there was ever a time when American men were better than American women. So we have a goal to reach.

Shelton and Fritz will surely be placed as one of the favorites to win the US Open, but every tennis fan knows that them potentially winning it will be decided by Sinner, Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic. However, with Shelton ranked World No.6 and Fritz No.4, they are both expected to get favorable draws at the tournament.

Ben Shelton reached the third round of the Cincinnati Open after his opponent retired

Ben Shelton earned his place in the third round of the Cincinnati Open after Camilo Ugo Carabelli retired in the second set. The Argentine star was playing great until the fourth game of the second set when he made an awkward movement forward before grasping his knee and falling on the hard court.

Ben Shelton (2)
Ben Shelton (Image via X/Joao Fonseca Updates)

After a medical timeout, he struggled to freely move on the court and had to retire while down 3-6, 1-3 against the American star. The injury may force Ugo Carabelli to withdraw from the US Open. Shelton admitted during his on-court interview that he felt bad for the Argentine star:

I feel for Camilo and it’s obviously not the way that you want to go through. I hope that he has a quick recovery.

Shelton will now face Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round as he aims to reach the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open. The American is competing at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament days after winning the Canadian Open in Toronto after defeating Russia star Karen Khachanov in the final.

Also Read: Coco Gauff Reflects On her Opening Match Victory at the Cincinnati Following “Small Adjustments” to her Game