Ben Shelton joins Andre Agassi on exclusive list after win in Munich

TL;DR

Ben Shelton won his fifth ATP Tour title at the BMW Open in Munich, defeating Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-5. This victory marks Shelton's first win on clay in top-20 play and the first American ATP victory on clay above 250 since Andre Agassi in 2002.

Key points

Ben Shelton won his fifth ATP Tour title
Defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-5
First American victory on clay above 250 since 2002
Shelton's first win on clay in top-20 play
Shelton aims to improve on clay surfaces

Mentioned in this story

Andre Agassi

Ben SheltonFlavio CobolliBMW OpenATP Tour

American Ben Shelton clinched his fifth ATP Tour title on Sunday, April 19, after taking down Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-5 at the BMW Open by Bitpanda in Munich.

"I am happy with my performance this week," said Shelton following his win. "I got better and better as the week went on and I am happy with the work me and the team put in."

What's even more impressive is that Shelton managed to earn this win on clay, a surface Americans have notoriously struggled on. In fact, Shelton's win, his first on clay in top-20 play, was the first American victory on clay at an ATP level above 250 since Andre Agassi did so in Rome in 2002.

Shelton said clay is becoming one of his favorite surfaces to play on. He claimed, "I have big ambitions for the clay courts. It is a surface I want to get better on each year."

Jan. 18: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in action against Adam Walton of Australia in the first round of the men's singles at the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park.

Jan. 18: Austria's Anastasia Potapova in action during her first round match against Netherlands' Suzan Lamens.

Jan. 18: Emma Raducanu of United Kingdom celebrates her victory over Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand in the first round of the women's singles at the Australian Open at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne Park.