Ben Shelton‘s passion for the demanding European clay courts is no secret. In a statement year in 2024, the American left-hander, currently ranked No. 15, secured his first triumph on clay at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston, defeating Frances Tiafoe in a tight three-setter. Now in 2025, with a career clay court record of 20 wins and 15 losses, Shelton finds himself in his second ATP clay court semifinal in Munich. How confident is he moving forward?

On Friday, Shelton advanced to the BMW semifinals with a dominating win against Italy’s Luciano Darderi in R8. The second seed hit a total of 29 winners against Darderi’s 12, securing a 6-4, 6-3 straight-set victory. With this, Ben became the first American to reach an ATP 500 semifinal on clay, a milestone that he came to know about in his post-match interview with the Tennis Channel.

Reflecting on his achievement, Shelton said, “I think this next gen of Americans is a little bit different than the norm, you know? Americans are always just big serve, forehands guys…I mean, I kind of am too, but guys want to grind, you know? Guys like [Alex] Michelsen, Learner Tien, [Nishesh] Basavareddy, they want to play every week, they want to play in every part of the world. Everybody is a little bit different.” The young American crew he mentioned is living up to the hype.

Alex Michelsen reached the Houston quarterfinals, battling Tiafoe in an all-American clash, while Learner Tien upset de Zandschulp in the Munich qualifiers. And Nishesh Basavareddy will be remembered as the teen who grabbed a set from Novak Djokovic at the 2025 Australian Open!

Shelton further shed light on his open-minded attitude: “I think there’s something to be said for playing the tournaments that you’re comfortable with, playing the surfaces that you’re happy playing on, and making the most of those weeks. So, everybody’s different. For me, I’d love to have success on clay and be a guy who can compete for titles on all three surfaces.”

And the results are coming in hot. Not only did he reach the semis, but his quarterfinal run in Munich matched the record of American tennis legend Jim Courier, making him the first American quarter-finalist at the Munich Open since Courier did it at age 19 back in 1990.

Ben’s journey is just getting started, and with every match, he’s showing that this new generation of Americans is ready to shake things up on every surface. Last year, he mentioned how challenging clay can be, but with his stride this season, how does he feel?

Ben Shelton analyzes his performance in Munich

Ben Shelton took down the always-dangerous Botic van de Zandschulp in the round of 16, dominating the first set tiebreak and sealing the win 7-6(1), 6-3. The heavy-hitting lefty was on fire with his first serve, winning a massive 83% of those points. “I’ve figured out how to manage my serve, raise my first-serve percentage a bit, and be winning a lot off of my first serve, I’m happy,” he said after the match. “There’s a lot that I can continue to build on going forward in this tournament.”

Shelton’s clay-court game is coming together fast. His current ATP Tour win rate of about 57.1% (20-15) is gaining on his hard 63.56 % (75/43) and indoor hard court records 76.92 % (40/12). While these courts have been his main stage so far, he’s clearly finding his feet on the European red clay as well. Shelton is learning to handle the slower, heavier conditions and is enjoying the challenge. “I’m enjoying it. I feel that I’m learning a lot. And the clay is very different,” he said.

Shelton loves comparing how clay plays in Europe versus the US. The difference in moisture changes everything. “Even not just the way the ball goes through the air, but the way it reacts off the court when it is a little damp and heavier and more compact versus in the US, it feels like you’re using rocket launchers,” the 22-year-old explained.

Now, with all this momentum, Shelton is set for a semifinal showdown against Francisco Cerundolo. With his confidence growing and his serve clicking, could this be the week the World No. 15 powers into his first final of the season? Share your thoughts in the comments below!