One of Florida's finest tennis players has set the tennis world alight at the 2023 U.S. Open.
Ben Shelton, a graduate of Gainesville's Buchholz High School, defeated fellow American Frances Tiafoe in four sets late Wednesday evening to advance to Friday's semifinal match.
Shelton, 20, is set to face the biggest test of his tennis career in the match: No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic, who's won a record 23 major tennis championships.
Shelton's ascent has been rapid. Here's a look back at his rise through the lens of the Gainesville Sun and USA Today Florida Network:
Ben Shelton 'hated' tennis at first
Despite overwhelming success in tennis at the junior, high school, collegiate and now professional level, Ben Shelton did not immediately fall in love with the sport that would bring him fame.
“I didn’t start playing tournaments until I was 11,” Shelton told the Gainesville Sun in a Player of the Year feature in 2018. “I hated it at first, I didn’t like tennis at all. But then I ended up playing it a lot and started liking it.”
Ben's sister, Emma, is also a tennis talent
One of the first players Ben Shelton had to overcome was his talented older sister Emma.
Two years ahead of Ben at Buchholz, Emma was a four-time Gainesville Sun Player of the Year and went on to sign with the University of South Carolina as a five-star prospect. She transferred to the University of Florida after playing two seasons with the Gameco*cks.
“She used to beat me all the time at first, not anymore,” Shelton told the Sun in 2018. ”We practice together pretty much every day, but we don’t always play matches against each other.”
Ben Shelton's father, Bryan, is Florida's head tennis coach
Bryan Shelton is a veteran NCAA tennis coach who took over the Gators' program in 2012 after leading Georgia Tech for 13 seasons. He led the Yellow Jackets to a national championship in 2007.
At Florida, Shelton compiled a 211-83 record and, along with Ben, led the Gators to the program's first national championship in 2021. He retired in June.
Bryan was himself an accomplished tennis professional, rising to No. 55 with the ATP.
Ben Shelton won a high school state championship at Buchholz
Shelton became the first Buchholz boys tennis player to win a state title by defeating Luis Iriarte Bastidas of Cypress Bay in straight sets (6-2, 6-3) in the 2019 Class 4A overall singles final.
In the semifinals, he defeated Randy Wilson from Miami Palmetto, who went on to play at Louisville and Florida Gulf Coast. Shelton did not drop a set in any of his singles matches, though his team lost in the quarterfinals to Orlando Lake Nona.
“It feels great,” Shelton told the Gainesville Sun of winning a state title. “I wish we could have gone further as a team, but it just kind of happened.
“I never played him before. My serving was really well, and I was able to break him down. I think he got tired.”
Shelton finished 29-1 in singles during his state championship season.
In doubles, Shelton partnered with Ben Nagoshi and Spencer Dorosheff at Buchholz.
Ben Shelton: National champion with Florida Gators
Shelton was part of two national championships as a Florida Gator while playing under his father.
In 2021, Shelton featured prominently in the Gators' run to the team national championship, the first in program history.
In 2022, Shelton took home the individual singles national championship, defeating San Diego's August Holmgren in three sets. He finished the season 37-5 overall and 17-1 in tournament singles matches.
Ben Shelton has played at Mardy Fish event
Shelton made an appearance at the $15,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships ITF World Tennis Tour event at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach in 2021.
He advanced to the quarterfinals before he was beaten by Canadian Liam Draxl in three sets. Shelton defeated his Florida teammate Blaise Bicknell in a grinding three-set match the day prior.
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@gannett.com.
