Ben Shelton pokes fun at himself after putting unorthodox athletic skills on display for French Open win

Ben Shelton secured his place in the fourth round of the 2025 French Open after winning his third-round clash against Matteo Gigante. One of the highlights of the match featured the American clinching a point after an unorthodox piece of play. Shelton later made fun of himself over it.

At one point during the match, Shelton lost his balance and slipped after hitting a powerful forehand. Gigante kept the ball in play with a lefty forehand of his own. Here, it seemed almost unimaginable that the American would keep the rally going, but he remarkably did. He slipped, slid and scrambled his way to the ball before hitting an improvised one-handed lefty backhand.

Matteo Gigante hit another forehand to Ben Shelton’s backhand wing. Here, the ATP No. 13, having regained his balance again, hit a powerful two-handed backhand. Gigante, attempting to play a delicate drop volley, got it wrong, handing the point to the American.

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In the aftermath of his 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over the Italian, Shelton took to his Instagram Stories and shared a post, which featured a screenshot of his unconventional athletic effort. The 22-year-old captioned the post:

"I'm clumsy asl 😭"

This year's Roland Garros marks the first time Shelton has reached the fourth round of the clay Major. However, to make it to the quarterfinals, he has to defeat defending champion Carlos Alcaraz next.

Ben Shelton yet to taste victory against Carlos Alcaraz; Spaniard favorite on paper for pair's French Open 4R showdown

Former No. 1 and four-time Major champion Carlos Alcaraz has so far played two competitive matches against Ben Shelton. The first one took place at the 2023 Canadian Open and the second one at last year's Laver Cup. Both matches ended in the Spaniard's favor, and the American didn't even win a single set.

As things stand, Alcaraz is the firm favorite on paper to win the pair's fourth-round battle at Roland Garros to make it a hat-trick of victories against Shelton. The defending French Open champion is in red-hot form in Paris, even though Damir Dzumhur did trouble him for some time in the clay Major's third round before the Spaniard ultimately emerged victorious.

If Shelton does manage to cause an upset over Alcaraz, he will face either compatriot Tommy Paul or Alexei Popyrin from Australia in the last eight.

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Sudipto Pati

Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

Sudipto has followed Tennis since the early 2000s and stays up-to-date with the sport by following both active and former Tennis players, and seasoned journalists. He also follows ATP and WTA updates, watches documentaries and interviews of professionals, and only reads esteemed publications. He sources all information for his articles only from credible publications stays away from unsubstantiated claims. In just a matter of 3 months, he has gained a readership of almost 2 million at Sportskeeda!

Sudipto admires Rafael Nadal for his fiercely competitive on-court nature and his ability to make memorable comebacks after injury layoffs. The Spaniard may be the GOAT for him, but he also respects the accomplishments of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

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