Tommy Paul couldn’t help but feel proud after learning that fellow American Ben Shelton will debut in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings next week. The 28-year-old, fresh from having achieved a career-high ranking himself, marked the achievement with a heartfelt shoutout on social media.
Ben Shelton Set To Become First American Born in the 2000s To Enter ATP Top 10
The breakthrough followed his run to the semifinals of the 2025 BOSS Open in Stuttgart, his furthest so far on grass. The 22-year-old, third seed in the event, defeated France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert easily in his first-round match before upsetting eighth seed Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinal. The victory not only marked his first semifinal on the surface but also secured his much-awaited Top 10 breakthrough.
With the current World No. 10 Alex de Minaur out of action this week and World No. 11 Daniil Medvedev losing in the quarterfinals to Reilly Opelka at the Libéma Open in the Netherlands, Shelton’s Stuttgart run was enough to promote him to No. 10 in next week’s ATP rankings. With this achievement, he becomes the first American man born in the 2000s to break into the ATP’s Top 10, and the seventh overall from his generation to do so.
Paul, riding a wave of his own following a good Roland Garros run in which he made the quarterfinals, did not allow the moment to go unnoticed. On Instagram Stories, he shared a graphic announcing Shelton’s Top 10 entry and included two appropriate emojis: the American flag and an alligator.
The alligator represented Shelton’s college background at the University of Florida, where he played for the Gators before turning pro in 2022.
Shelton Reacts With Shock to News of ATP Top 10 Debut
Shelton could hardly believe it when he found out he was on the verge of breaking into the ATP Top 10 for the first time. The news came during his post-match on-court interview following his quarterfinal victory over Lehecka in Stuttgart.
“I’d say I’m gonna go look and worry about this the end of this tournament first, but I’ll look and see it with my own eyes before I believe it,” Shelton said with a smile. “I mean, I’m not saying they’re not informed, but I gotta see it first so if that is true.”
Shelton lit up at the thought, clearly moved by the achievement. “That’s really cool,” he added. “A big milestone in tennis.”
He also pointed out the coincidence that his breakthrough came in the same city where fellow American Frances Tiafoe cracked the Top 10 for the first time back in 2023. “I guess Stuttgart is the place for Americans to break into the Top 10,” Shelton joked.
Even with the milestone within reach, Shelton’s focus remains on the tournament at hand. “I’m just thinking about this week,” he said. “I want to keep going and want to be playing on Sunday.”
MORE: Ben Shelton Not Ready To Believe the News About His ATP Rankings
Shelton eventually went on to lose 6-7(8), 6-7(1) to top seed Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, who will take on second seed Taylor Fritz in the Stuttgart final.