Ben Shelton’s confident and enthusiastic performance at the 2023 US Open captivated a global tennis audience, a modern rarity in the world of NCAA tennis.
Shelton played two seasons at the University of Florida under his head coach, his father, Brian Shelton, and led the Gators to the team championship in 2021 before winning the singles title the following year. Since declaring pro status, Shelton’s climb has made him the men’s semifinalist at the U.S. Open, the second former NCAA semifinalist since 2000 (Illinois’ Kevin Anderson reached the 2017 U.S. Open final).
To celebrate Shelton’s incredible run, take a look back at the superstar’s best moments as a Florida Gator. First, a few quick highlights:
- Recorded 65-10 singles record, including 37-5 in 2021-22
- 24-2 career tournament singles (17-1 in 2021-22)
- 2022 NCAA Men’s Singles Champion and Doubles Quarterfinalist
- 2022 ITA National Player of the Year
- 1st place in singles and 5th place in doubles (with Sam Riffis)
- 2022 SEC Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC
- 2022 SEC Tournament MVP and Tournament Champion
- The 2021 team made it to the national championship game against Baylor
Shelton is on track to win the 2022 NCAA singles title
Heading into the singles final of the tournament against San Diego’s August Holmgren, Shelton found himself in an unusual position when Torero took the first set and tied it at 1-1 in the second.
A hard-fought battle saw Shelton take 10 of the next 14 points and stomp to a more familiar side, using his apparent power on match point to push Holmgren straight onto the back foot.
The ensuing short rally ended with a ferocious forehand down the left wing, giving Shelton his second straight Florida singles title and a fist bump.
Shelton holds the 2021 Florida Tag Team Championship
The tight throat of Florida’s mostly winning roster inspired Shelton, whose singles victory would mark the Gators’ first team tennis championship in program history.
The freshman phenom from Florida previously dominated doubles with junior Sam Riffis, and after dropping the first set, dominated the final set comfortably 5-2.
Trailing 40-0, Baylor’s Charlie Brohm’s fumble return went well beyond the baseline, and Shelton tossed his racket skyward and hugged the crowd as they huddled together to celebrate UF history.
An impressive statistical season earns Shelton the 2022 ITA Player of the Year award
Few places show Ben Shelton’s incredible rise more clearly than in the ITA National Collegiate Tennis Rankings – just 18 months after he was ranked No. 86 in the 2021 preseason edition, Shelton will continue to hold the top spot.
A few months later, after beating out Holmgren, Shelton would win the same organization’s Player of the Year honors after a dominant sophomore season. Florida’s record six-time All-American led UF’s all-star roster to a dominant 37-5 record, 28 wins over ranked opponents and inspired an elite duo performance with Riffis, ranked No. 5 in the nation.
Not even the SEC handballs could get past Shelton, who went 10-2 in conference singles play and won SEC Player of the Year honors.
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Ben Shelton just became the first Gator to win a singles title at the ITA All-American Championships!
π°: https://t.co/itK00EmIlc#GoGators ππΎ pic.twitter.com/uVJPfdLe30
β Gators Men’s Tennis (@GatorsMTN) October 10, 2021
Each match: Shelton’s 2022 singles
Shelton defined the 2022 NCAA Singles Championship with predictable dominance, sweeping his first four opponents and calmly overcoming late-round setbacks.
Here’s a rundown of each of his championship wins.
| NUMBER | COMPETITORS | OPp. School | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final 64 | #27 Ondrej Styler | Michigan | 7-5, 6-2 |
| Final 32 | #57 Axel Nefve | Notre Dame | 6-0, 7-6 (1) |
| Final 16 | #19 JJ Tracy | Ohio State | 6-4, 6-4 |
| In the quarterfinals | #15 Arthur Ferry | Stanford | 6-3, 6-4 |
| Semi-final | #3 Adam Walton | Tennessee | 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-5 |
| Final | #6 August Holmgren | San Diego | 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
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