Ben Shelton continued his incredible breakthrough season by securing his first ATP title. He lifted the ATP 500 Japan Open to accumulate over $2.2 million in prize money this season, along with 2355 ranking points. He is now within touching distance of the highest-ranked American tennis player, Taylor Fritz, in terms of YTD ranking points and prize money.
Shelton’s title win in Tokyo boosted him to a career-best rank of World No.15. It gives him a chance to catch up to Fritz in ranking and prize money for 2023 and earn the right to be called the best player from the USA this season. There is still a sizeable gap between the two Americans, but if Shelton keeps his form up, an ATP finals berth could also be on the cards.
Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz’s 2023 earnings compared
Ben Shelton beat fellow Americans Tommy Paul and Marcos Giron en route to the final. There, he bested Aslan Karatsev to lift his first-ever ATP title.
For his championship victory in Tokyo, Shelton took home $347,390 as prize money. This took his total prize money for 2023 to $2,279,079. A big chunk of this came from his semi-final finish at the 2023 US Open, which made him $775,000 richer. He also earned around $350,000 from his 2023 Australian Open quarter-final run. With the ATP 500 title, Shelton’s total stands at 2355 points for a career-high No.15 rank.
Taylor Fritz has been the most successful American player on the tour this season. He has won two titles and frequently gone deep into multiple tournaments. He has raked in $3,302,382 as prize money in 2023 so far and is currently ranked ninth with 3,500 points.
Fritz and Shelton are scheduled to play ATP 500 tournaments in Basel and Vienna next, respectively. Both are expected to participate in the Paris Masters after that. It will be followed by two simultaneous ATP 250 events. Shelton may participate in either of those while Fritz could likely skip it. This gives the younger American a chance to get closer to the senior American’s YTD prize money count.
Shelton needs to bag over $1 million in prize money from the remaining tournaments if he wants to eclipse Fritz. It is an incredibly difficult gap to close down for the 20-year-old. Similarly, covering a 1200-point gap will not be easy for him unless the World No.9 fails spectacularly in all upcoming tournaments. It would also require Shelton to display some unbelievable form and maybe even win his first Masters title. With names like Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz also in the fray in Paris, it will not be easy for Shelton to become the best American player in 2023.
Where Shelton stands in the race to the ATP Finals
With the ATP season hurtling to an end, the ATP Finals Race is also heating up. Four spots have already been taken up by Djokovic, Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Jannik Sinner. Four more slots remain with a bunch of players competing for it.
Shelton is 14th in the Race to Turin, skipping past fellow American Frances Tiafoe after his Japan Open victory. Currently in the eighth spot is Holger Rune with 3110 points, significantly ahead of Shelton’s tally of 2275 points. However, he has an outside chance to make it to the top 8. If he keeps his form up and lifts the Vienna Open title, he could be on the fringes of the top 10, moving past the likes of Alex de Minaur and countryman Tommy Paul, who himself was touted as a dark horse for qualification. Progressing deep into the Paris Masters would greatly help his case for a last-minute qualification.
However, names like Fritz and Casper Ruud will also give their best in hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals. Shelton may not surpass the former in numbers or make it to the ATP finals but has surely made everyone sit up and take notice with a great 2023.
