Ben Shelton did the round better than his father-turned coach Brian in 1994, and reached his first Wimbledon quarterfinals on Monday, beating Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 7-5.
Shelton, a 22-year-old American, improved to 3-0 against Italian Sonego in grand slam action this season. It’s the first time that two men have faced each other in the first three majors of the year since John McEnroe went 3-0 with Jimmy Connors in 1984.
Shelton, the 10th seeded, eliminated Sonego in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January, and eliminated the first round of the French Open in May.
“Every time I needed a big point, he came up with a highlight shot,” Shelton said.
Shelton thrives this latest meeting, avoiding breaking 47th place Sonego to head towards the tiebreaker, throwing his head back and screaming “Come!” And then smacks him on the chest.
“I’m happy with how I played that last game. That’s my best tennis, my best return and that’s what I need to continue this tournament,” No. Shelton said that he went on to face Jannik Sinner in 1. “So, having me finish a game with that kind of game gives me the confidence to move forward.”
Shelton became the fourth Black American to reach the quarterfinals at the All England Club since the opening era began, joining Arthur Ashe (three times), Mariby Washington (1996) and Christopher Eubanks (2023).
Ash (UCLA), Washington (Michigan) and Eubanks (Georgia Tech) played college tennis, similar to Shelton, who won the 2022 NCAA singles title at the University of Florida.
Shelton joined No. 5 Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals, extending the run where two American men reached the final eight in five consecutive slams. It was the longest winning streak, as it happened in 24 straight majors from France in 1991 to the Australian Open in 1997.
Shelton is the youngest American to reach Wimbledon quarters since Andy Roddick did that in 2004.
In the first court stands, Shelton’s parents, his sister, Emma, were stuck at an All-England club after pleading her to have to return to her job at Morgan Stanley on Monday, as originally planned.
“There are a lot of people out there that I like,” Shelton said in an on-court interview.
He believed his father stimulated the way he played at Grass Court.
“He was in 16 rounds here – 31 years ago? A gift or take. He was a serve and boria. He was a big serve. He always moved forward. I want to see him come out a little further than me.
But he also shows that Shelton has the knack for success on a smooth surface, calling it “vintage style” tennis, cutting off angles, and making up what constitutes what is commonly referred to as “a little unpredictable.”
Against Sonego, Shelton scored points on 43 of his 58 trips to the net.
Shelton lost his final five matchups against the sinners in all straight sets, including the fourth round of Wimbledon a year ago and the Australian Open semi-finals in January.
“The man is a machine,” Shelton said.
ESPN research and Associated Press contributed to this report.