Ben Shelton’s run at the 2026 Miami Open was brief as he lost to Alexander Shevchenko in the second round. Following his defeat, the former World No. 5 expressed his feelings about the loss and how it felt to lose in front of his home crowd.
Leading up to the ATP Masters 1000 hard-court tournament in Florida, Shelton competed in the 2026 Indian Wells Masters, where he defeated Reilly Opelka in his opening match before being eliminated by Learner Tien in the third round.
Ben Shelton Reacts to Second-Round Miami Open Loss Against Alexander Shevchenko
This year at the Miami Open, Shelton was seeded No. 8 and began his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. He faced Shevchenko in his opening match and won the first set 7-6(3).
However, the Kazakh staged a remarkable comeback, winning the next two sets and securing the match 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-3.
Following his second-round loss, while speaking to the press, Shelton stated that the defeat was “tough” to swallow, mentioning that he was close to winning the second set, which could have led to him winning the match in straight sets.
“It was a tough one. I thought I was pretty close, a shot or two away from closing out the second set and winning the match in straight sets,” Shelton said.
The American praised Shevchenko’s performance, saying that he deserved full credit for outplaying him.
“You’ve got to give Alex a lot of credit. He outplayed me down the stretch and deserved to win 100 percent. It’s my home state, so it’s disappointing this happened again in this big tournament in my own backyard. That’s life. That’s tennis,” Shelton said.
MORE: Ben Shelton’s Home Edge Fails as Alexander Shevchenko Uses ‘Emotional’ Play in Miami
Looking ahead, Shevchenko will face Ugo Humbert in the third round of the 2026 Miami Open. The Frenchman, seeded No. 31, began his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. He secured his spot in the third round by defeating Gabriel Diallo 6-1, 6-4 in his opening match.
Shevchenko and Humbert have met three times on the ATP Tour, with the former World No. 13 winning all three encounters. Their most recent match was in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Adelaide International, where Humbert won 6-0, 6-3.
The winner of the third-round match between Shevchenko and Humbert at the Miami Open will advance to face either No. 9 seed Daniil Medvedev or No. 18 seed Francisco Cerúndolo in the fourth round of the tournament.
