Ben Shelton closed out his Cincinnati Open campaign with a heartfelt message to his fans after bowing out in the quarterfinals to Alexander Zverev for the second straight year. The 22-year-old American, who entered the ATP Masters 1000 event as the fifth seed, admitted he “finally ran out of gas” but made it clear he is already turning his attention to the upcoming US Open in New York.
Who Did Ben Shelton Face on His Way to the Last Eight in Cincinnati?
The Atlanta native received a bye in the first round, then advanced over Camilo Ugo Carabelli after the Argentine withdrew with a knee injury. He then defeated Roberto Bautista Agut and Jiří Lehečka in straight sets to make his second consecutive quarterfinal appearance at the tournament. For the second year in a row, however, his campaign ended against Zverev, this time in a lopsided 2-6, 2-6 loss to the third seed.
Running up that hill 💪@AlexZverev remains perfect against Ben Shelton with a 6-2 6-2 triumph. #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/kjbkS9XutN
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 16, 2025
Despite the setback, Shelton’s outlook remained positive. In a post shared on Instagram, he acknowledged the fatigue that had caught up with him after a demanding stretch on tour, while signaling his readiness to shift gears toward Flushing Meadows. “Finally ran out of gas… great couple of weeks, but ready to get after it NYC,” Shelton wrote.
Last week, Shelton won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open in Toronto, defeating 11th seed Karen Khachanov 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3) in a thrilling final. While he dreams of a Grand Slam, he remains grounded and cautious about rising expectations.
“I think that the more opportunities that you have, the more times you put yourself in the position to be playing against the best players in the world, you’re only going to get better,” Shelton said during his post-match press conference in Toronto.
“So, for me it’s being in the later stages of the tournament and playing against guys who are playing their best tennis to see where I match up, and see where my weaknesses are and where I can get better… I think that my tennis IQ and my tennis mind is something that is getting better, and something that needs to continue to get better,” he added.
MORE: Ben Shelton ‘Probably Won’t Win the US Open’, According to Rennae Stubbs — Here’s Why
Shelton will now start preparing for his fourth main draw appearance at the 2025 US Open, which kicks off on August 24. His main draw debut in 2022 ended in an early exit, but he made a breakthrough the following year with a memorable run in New York.
During that campaign, he defeated fellow Americans Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe en route to the semifinals, where he fell in three sets to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. In his most recent showing last year, Shelton advanced to the third round before being edged out by Tiafoe in a grueling five-set battle.