American Ben Shelton to make career debut at ATP Finals following breakthrough season

Ben Shelton will make his career debut at the ATP Finals this year.

The American secured his spot in Turin on Thursday after defeating Andrey Rublev at the Rolex Paris Masters, 7-6 (6), 6-3, which put him into the quarterfinals in the French capital for the first time.

He's the sixth player to qualify for this year's ATP Finals, joining Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz at the star-studded event that runs from November 9th to 16th.

And with Fritz qualifying yesterday, this is also the first time that two Americans have qualified for the ATP Finals in the same year since 2006, when Andy Roddick and James Blake both did it.

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Shelton brought out some of his best tennis on Thursday to secure his spot in Turin, grinding through a 53-minute first set—which he clinched with a scorching forehand winner down the line—and then winning the last four games in a row from 2-3 in the second set to close it out.

"I knew going into today that this win would qualify me, but I was trying not to think about it, trying to keep my mind here in Paris," he said. "That's what's most important. That's what's right in front of me.

"But I knew at the end of the day that if I wanted to be in control of my own destiny I had to go out and win today, and I knew when I stepped out on the court that I was going to have to die on this court before I went down. So I'm happy with my performance today and that I was able to bring out the best tennis that I've played in months.

"I'm just really excited to be in the quarterfinals here."

It's been a breakthrough season for the American, highlighted by reaching the second Grand Slam semifinal of his career at the Australian Open, breaking into the Top 10 for the first time during the grass-court season and winning his first Masters 1000 title in Canada.

He's also made it through to one more final (Munich), two more semifinals (Stuttgart and Washington D.C.) and four more quarterfinals (Indian Wells, Wimbledon, Cincinnati and now Paris).

He hit a career-high ranking of No. 6 in the summer and seemed headed for the Top 5 before a shoulder injury ended his US Open campaign and put him out of action until just a few weeks ago.

But now, he'll make his first career appearance at the ATP Finals.

"It's huge. It's huge for me," he added. "It was always a huge goal, most importantly, to get back to this level I played today. That's where I want to be at. This is where I was at in the summer, around US Open time.

"To feel what I felt on the court today is what I'm most proud about."

Just two spots remain in the field at this year's ATP Finals now.

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