The United States Davis Cup team arrived in Taipei City with a mission and boy, haven’t they delivered with ruthless efficiency! A flawless 4-0 sweep over Chinese Taipei in the first round of 2025 Davis Cup qualifying left no doubt: Eight sets played, eight sets won. No breaks of serve surrendered. Clinical!. Uncompromising!. Unstoppable!.

The 32 times champion domination started with the debutant, Alex Michelsen as he edged Wu Tung-Lin 7-6(4), 6-3, before another debutant, Marcos Giron crushed Tseng Chun Hsin 6-2, 6-2. Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek clinched the tie with a 6-4, 7-6(4) doubles win over Ho Ray and Wu. Mackenzie McDonald then wrapped things up with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. The win that has also set up a home tie for the 2007 champion against Czechia in the second qualifying round on 12-14 September was bound to spark reactions, wasn’t it? Of course, it did. 2025 Australian Open semifinalist and rising American star Ben Shelton made sure he had his reactions as well.

The 22-year-old joined in the celebration of USA’s thumping win over 27th 27th-ranked opponent. Shelton took to his Instagram story to share the results, which was itself shared by the United States Tennis Association’s official page. Shelton isn’t the part of U.S. Davis Cup squad for Qualifiers and didn’t play 2023 season as well. Why? There is no official explanation yet. But Shelton right now is gearing up for the ATP Dallas Open, starting February 4 after his best run at the Australian Open 2025.

Shelton’s Australian Open run ended in the semifinals, but what a ride it was. The 21-year-old American reached his second Grand Slam semifinal, backing up his 2023 US Open breakthrough. He stormed past Brandon Nakashima, Pablo Carreño Busta, and Lorenzo Musetti before advancing past Gaël Monfils, who retired injured. A four-set win over Lorenzo Sonego put him in his first Melbourne semifinal—his best result here! But Jannik Sinner, the defending champion, proved too strong. Still, Shelton’s rise continues.

Ben Shelton continues to rise and impress

Ben Shelton has been on a roll lately. Hasn’t he? Stats say so, Just a few years ago, Shelton never played outside the United States. Now, he is not only an Australian Open Grand Slam semifinalist but also the youngest American No. 1 since Andy Roddick in 2003. How did he get here so fast?

His journey began under the guidance of his father, Bryan Shelton, who coached him at the University of Florida. There, Ben claimed the 2022 NCAA singles title, still ranked outside the world’s Top 500 and later that year, he turned professional after a breakout win against Casper Ruud in Cincinnati.

The 2023 Australian Open marked his arrival on the global stage and in style! In his first overseas tournament, Shelton stormed to the quarterfinals, defeating higher-ranked opponents with a fearless game. By the time the U.S. Open rolled around, he was already a star, taking down the likes of Dominic Thiem, Aslan Karatsev, Tommy Paul, and Frances Tiafoe en route to the semifinals.

But Shelton didn’t sulk about his 2023 achievements! American continued his rise in 2024 and this time, showed his ability to transition from hard court specialist to player who can win title on clay as well; He captured his first ATP title on clay at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships, defeating Frances Tiafoe in a historic all-African American final. His deep runs in major events—reaching the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, shining at the Laver Cup with six crucial points for Team World, and now a semifinal finish at the 2025 Australian Open.

Shelton now heads to the Dallas Open, American will look to bring his dynamic game to home soil and grab his first title of 2025. But won’t be easy with the field stacked with top-tier talents like Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, and Tommy Paul.