Ben Shelton Reveals His Two Major Aspirations For the Remainder of the 2025 Season

Ben Shelton will face Brandon Nakashima for a place in the fourth round of the Canadian Open.

Ben Shelton Reveals His Two Major Aspirations For the Remainder of the 2025 Season

Ben Shelton (Image via X/Jose Morgado)

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Ben Shelton is currently competing at the Canadian Open, where he’s in the third round of the competition. The American star has been the second most consistent singles player from his country on tour this season, just after World No.4 Taylor Fritz. He has now revealed his major goals for the remainder of the year.

Shelton is yet to win a title this season, but his consistent results on the court have seen him break into the Top 10. He’s currently ranked World No.7 and he’s expected to rise further if he does reach the final of the Canadian Open. His surge on tour this year began when he matched his best Grand Slam result by reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January.

He reached his first final of 2025 at the Munich Open, but lost the title to Alexander Zverev. Last month, he earned his best run at the Wimbledon Championship, getting to the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner. The 22-year-old opened his North American hard-court account by reaching the semi-finals before losing to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets.

The fourth seed opened his account at the Canadian Open, beating Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3 in the second round. It was the first time in his career that he defeated the Frenchman, having lost their two previous meetings.

Following the match, he sat for an interview with Tennis Channel, where he was asked about his steady climb in the ATP rankings this season. The Atlanta native revealed that his goal this season is to be in his best form at the US Open in August. He added that he also aims to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin, which is in November:

New York [The US Open] is the one that’s marked on my calendar every year, but especially this year in 2025. Turin is a big goal for me. I’ve never really, at this point of the year, been in a position where I’ve given myself a chance to make it there. But I think that’s kind of, you know, the next step for me, solidifying myself up here at the top, and that’s a big goal as I look towards the end of the year. I’d say those are two for me, but those are a little bit more in the back of my mind compared to the on-court everyday stuff that I’m trying to improve on.

Shelton is currently ninth in the ATP Live Race to Turin. Above him is Fritz, who is using fewer than 200 points to top him. If Shelton has to get into the top eight by November, he will have to produce more consistent results on the court, while hoping one of the players above him drops from the elite group.

Ben Shelton aims to be the best version of himself on the court

Ben Shelton’s debut in the US Open main draw came in 2022. He faced Nuno Borges in the opening match, but lost to the Portuguese star despite pushing the game to a fifth set. The following year, he improved greatly, reaching the semi-finals before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton (Image via X/Roland Garros)

Last year, he failed to produce the same kind of performance as he did in 2024, as he fell to Frances Tiafoe in the third round. During the aforementioned interview, he revealed that while aiming to push for the major goals this season, he also wants to become the best version of himself on the court:

I’m trying to just, you know, become the best version of myself, shore up some of the holes that I have, make my weapons into bigger weapons. I think if I do those things, I’ll end up sooner or later getting the results I want to see.

Shelton will face Brandon Nakashima in the third round of the Canadian Open. The American star will hope to get past his fellow compatriot, who got to that stage after beating Ethan Quinn on Wednesday (July 30).

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