USA's Ben Shelton Earns New Nickname After Qualifying for ATP Finals
World No.6 Ben Shelton earned a new nickname after qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time in his career. The American sealed his spot in the illustrious tournament by beating Andrey Rublev in the Round of 16 of the 2025 Rolex Paris Masters on Thursday.
Shelton has had a breakthrough season this year, reaching the semi-finals of the 2025 Australian Open and the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, and even capturing his biggest title thus far by winning the Canadian Open.
Heading into the match with the Russian player on Thursday, the 23-year-old was aware of the fact that a victory would seal his position in the ATP Finals. However, he did not let the pressure affect his game on the court and put forth a professional performance to get the better of Rublev in straight sets 7-6, 6-3 in Bercy.
To celebrate Shelton's qualification, the ATP Tour shared a post on their official X platform and gave the American the nickname of "SHELTON THE SHOWMAN".
SHELTON THE SHOWMAN 💥@BenShelton powers through Rublev in straight sets to reach his 6th ATP Masters QF.@RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasterspic.twitter.com/g6Lmh3LEbQ
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 30, 2025
Shelton joined the likes of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev, and Alex de Minaur in the field in Turin.
Ben Shelton Reflects on His Thoughts After Qualifying For the ATP Finals
Ben Shelton stated that he was trying his best not to think about the qualification during his match to focus on his performance on the court, but was delighted with his achievement.
In his on-court interview, the Floridian reflected on the feat and said:
“I knew going into today that this would qualify for me. I was trying not to think about it. I’m trying to keep my mind here in Paris this week. That’s what’s most important, what’s right in front of me. But I knew at the end of the day that if I wanted to be in control of my own destiny, I had to go out and win today, and I knew when I stepped on the court that I was going to have to die on this court before I went down.
“So I’m happy with the performance. I thought I brought out my best tennis that I’ve played in months, and I’m just really excited to be in the quarterfinals here.”
The two-time Grand Slam semifinalist believed that qualifying for the prestigious event was "huge" for him, adding:
“It’s huge for me,” said Shelton. “It was always a huge goal, but most importantly, to get back to this level that I played today, that’s where I wanted to be. This is where I was at in the summer around the US Open, and to feel what I felt on the court today is what I’m most proud about.”
Shelton will next face Sinner in the quarter-final of the Paris Masters and would look to get his first win against the four-time Grand Slam champion in their head-to-head.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the Other Sports section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
