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Shelton starts on song

American fifth seed enjoys lively Paris conditions on way to round two

Ben Shelton, R1, Roland-Garros 2026
©Philippe Montigny / FFT
 - Chris Oddo

Paris in the springtime has proven to be an exruciating rite of passage for the American men in recent years. The stars and stripes have not managed to produce a men’s singles champion in 34 years in the city of lights, but progress is in the works. 

Enter Ben Shelton, a pulsating bundle of energy with a knack for coming to life at every Grand Slam.

Seeded fifth in Paris, the top-ranked American kicked off his 2026 campaign with a commanding 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Daniel Merida in Court Suzanne-Lenglen on Monday. The victory by the left-handed Florida native is Shelton's eighth clay-court match win of the season, equalling a career high. 

There's so much hype in the US around this tournament now

Shelton joined compatriots Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul in the round of 16 last year at Roland-Garros, marking the first time that three American men have reached that stage on the Parisian clay in the same year since 1995.

Two - Paul and Tiafoe - made it to the last eight.

Perhaps 2026 can be the next step for the American contingent?

With warm weather creating faster playing conditions during the first week of the tournament, Shelton and his compatriots believe they are on the fast track to repeating their success. 

“It plays faster,” Tiafoe said after taking out Elliot Spizzirri in four sets. “It definitely helps us American guys, we really enjoy that – the faster it is for me the better for me on a clay court.”

“Most of us do play well on fast courts,” Shelton added. 

Big-stage Ben

Shelton, who emerged from the college rankings after winning an NCAA title at the University of Florida, loves the big stage. His eye-opening 37-14 lifetime record at the majors attests to that. The American says there’s an element of prime time at the Slams that brings out the best in him.  

“Most of us do play well on fast courts, but I think that it's just the stage that we're playing on,” he said. “It's a Slam. It's covered by TNT, Bleacher Report. Especially for me and Frances, that’s where we watch all our NBA highlights.

“So it's cool to see that they picked up this tournament, and there's so much hype in the US around this tournament now. I think that that plays a big role in the improvement and results, in my opinion.”

Hungry for showtime

Shelton, who was defeated by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the round of 16 on Court Philippe-Chatrier last year, hinted that he’s looking forward to stepping onto the fabled showcourt once again. 

“Chatrier was quite the experience and certainly quickly became one of my favourite courts in tennis,” he said. “It's massive, looking all the way up to the top. Even just the court size is massive. To be able to play on a court like that with so much history is really cool.” 

The 23-year-old saved the only break point he faced and held in all 14 service games to set a second-round clash with rising Belgian Raphael Collignon.