Ben Shelton serves up ideal DC Open start in first match since Wimbledon

At this year’s Mubadala Citi DC Open, Ben Shelton comes in boasting a career-high No. 8 ranking. Can he turn it into his first title run of 2025 as the North American summer hard-court swing ramps up?

On Tuesday evening in Washington D.C., Shelton claimed a matchup of former NCAA champions to begin his quest for a return to the winner’s circle. The No. 4 seed defeated Mackenzie McDonald, 6-3, 6-4, in his first tournament appearance since reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

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A botched forehand approach shot from McDonald handed Shelton the first break point of the match in the fourth game. The left-hander capitalized by redirecting a forehand up the line that McDonald was unable to counter—and stayed in front by using the sticky conditions to his advantage. Shelton dropped just four points at the line and frequently worked his way forward, closing out the first set at love with a textbook serve and volley.

McDonald held his nerve after his forehand once again let him down in falling behind break point at 1-1 in the second set. But unlike Shelton, the 2021 finalist couldn’t find any openings to make an impact against his opponent’s serve. It eventually caught up to McDonald, when Shelton outpaced him from the baseline to move ahead 4-3. Three games later, one final love hold from Shelton sealed the victory after 75 minutes on court.

Three of Shelton’s four tour-level finals have been at the 500-level, including his maiden triumph in Tokyo two seasons ago. The 22-year-old is seeking his first trophy since April 2024 when he captured the ATP 250 clay-court title in Houston. At the start of this week’s events, Shelton stood at No. 8 in the race to Turin which determines the eight-man field for the Nitto ATP Finals.

The Atlanta native faces another former college star in a third-round clash that expects to be full of serving prowess. Earlier, No. 15 seed Gabriel Diallo advanced past Fabian Marozsan with a matching 6-3, 6-4 victory.