Ben Shelton’s bizarre luck in Grand Slam draws becomes even more obvious after American reaches Wimbledon 2nd week

July 6, 2025

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Ben Shelton progressed to the fourth round of Wimbledon 2025 with a win over Marton Fucsovics. This is his 12th main draw appearance at a Major, and he has made the second week in six of them. That’s remarkable consistency for someone in the early stages of his career.

However, lady luck has certainly played her role in his deep runs. He has somehow managed to avoid competitive players in the initial three rounds in most of his runs, which made his path to the fourth round a lot easier. He has beaten a seeded player only once to make the fourth round of a Major.

Shelton didn’t face anyone ranked in the top 80 to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon this year. His first-round opponent was No. 179 Alex Bolt, followed by No. 87 Rinky Hijikata and No. 105 Fucsovics. The average ranking of his opponents in the first three rounds was 124.

The level of competition decreased for him at this year's French Open with every round, with the average ranking being 128 by the end of the third round. The American beat No. 44 Lorenzo Sonego in the first round, received a walkover from No. 83 Hugo Gaston and then beat No. 167 Matteo Gigante before losing to second seed Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round.

This year's Australian Open was the only time Shelton encountered quality opposition in the early rounds. He scored wins over No. 35 Brandon Nakashima, No. 182 Pablo Carreno Busta and No. 15 Lorenzo Musetti, bringing the average ranking of his opponents to 77.

Shelton faced three players ranked outside the top 100 to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon 2024, where he lost to No. 1 Jannik Sinner. The average ranking of his opponents at the Australian Open and US Open in 2023 across the first three rounds was 121 and 74 respectively. He didn't bump into anyone in the top 60 during his quarterfinal run in Melbourne.

However, luck is only a part of the equation. Shelton has capitalized on his chances and advanced beyond the fourth round in three of his previous five matches at this stage. He beat top 20 players Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul during his semifinal finish at the US Open 2023.

At the end of the day, Shelton can only face whoever is in front of him and that's beyond his control. He will now aim to continue his run at Wimbledon, where he faces a familiar opponent.

Lorenzo Sonego stands between Ben Shelton and a spot in the Wimbledon 2025 quarterfinals

Ben Shelton at Wimbledon 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Ben Shelton will take on No. 47 Lorenzo Sonego in the fourth round of Wimbledon 2025 on Monday, July 7. They previously crossed paths at this year's Australian Open and French Open as well, with the American coming out on top on both occasions.

Shelton needed four sets to get past Sonego in the quarterfinals Down Under, while he needed five sets to triumph when they locked horns in the first round in Paris. This will be their first match on grass.

Sonego's only win in this rivalry came at the French Open 2023, ousting Shelton in the first round with a four-set win. He will aim to recapture some of that magic to stop his losing skid against his younger rival.

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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