Ben Shelton had taken huge strides this season — winning a Masters 1000 title, making a semifinal run at the Australian Open, and becoming the No. 1 American player. Ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin, Shelton entered the event as the No. 5-ranked player in the world, ahead of his compatriot Taylor Fritz, who entered as the World No. 6.
Ben Shelton Loses the No. 1 Ranking to Taylor Fritz After Both Fail To Make It Past the Group at the ATP Finals
The stage was set for both Shelton and Fritz to fight over the distinction of the No. 1 American player in Turin. However, in a disappointing turn of events, neither American player made it past their groups into the semifinals. For Shelton, his debut at the prestigious annual event was far from perfect, as he lost all three matches against Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Jannik Sinner.
Meanwhile, Fritz began his campaign on a bright note, winning against Lorenzo Musetti, but then lost to Carlos Alcaraz in a three-set thriller and to Alex De Minaur in straight sets, which eliminated him from the group. With the results in, Fritz would retake the No. 1 American spot from Shelton next week (once the rankings are reshuffled), creating a 165-point gap.
Shelton and Fritz entered Turin with 3,970 and 3,935 points, respectively, with Fritz defending 800 points from his runner-up finish last year, while this was Shelton’s debut at the year-ending event. With Fritz ending his campaign with a loss to De Minaur on Thursday, Shelton needed to win his last match against Sinner to gain 200 points, which would have helped him maintain his small lead over his compatriot.
However, despite his best efforts, Shelton could not make a dent in Sinner’s game in their match. Since their first meeting in Shanghai in 2023, Shelton has not been able to win a set against the Italian, and that trend continued in Turin, as Sinner won 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Shelton’s return game has proved ineffective against Sinner in their rivalry in recent times, and that was the case in Turin. The American generated only one break point in the entire match, which he could not convert. Meanwhile, on a fast indoor court, he could not hold his powerful serve, getting broken twice by the Italian.
Shelton finished his 2025 season with 40 wins and 24 losses, for a 62.5% win rate. However, his performance against top-10 players still leaves a lot to be desired, as he could win only two of his 12 matches against top-flight opposition.
