Ben Shelton beat Lorenzo Sonego to advance to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Ben Shelton Beats Lorenzo Sonego to Reach Wimbledon Quarterfinals

Originally posted on Serve on SI | By Pat Benson | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 2:31 PM ET

In all three Majors this year, American tennis star Ben Shelton has advanced to career-bests in each round. On Monday afternoon, Shelton punched his ticket to the quarterfinals with a four-set win over Lorenzo Sonego in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon: 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 7-5.

After dropping the opening set, Shelton stormed back in the second set. With the match hanging in the balance, Shelton won a tiebreak in the third and narrowly took the fourth to complete the comeback.

Shelton and Sonego served at a high level, both tallying eight aces. Shelton won points on 74% and 68% of his first and second serves, respectively. Sonego won points on 70% and 52% of his first and second serves, respectively.

THE SHELTON SCREAM RETURNS

No.10 seed Ben Shelton recovers from going a set down against Lorenzo Sonego to win 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(1), 7-5 and reach his first #Wimbledon quarter-finals ➡️ pic.twitter.com/WOMG4htz52
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025

However, Shelton executed at the most important moments of the match. He was 4/6 on break points compared to Sonego's 2/6, and took the only tiebreak.

At 22 years old, Shelton becomes the youngest American man to reach the Wimbledon singles quarterfinals since Andy Roddick in 2004.

The former football player even had a delightful exchange during his post-match interview from Centre Court.

From his days as a 'quarter-backer' to serving on the grass

Ben Shelton may be playing an individual sport now, but none of it would be possible without the team around him ♥️#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/eDc0Ux9ogb
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025

Shelton was asked about the connection between American football and tennis, since he was a "quarterback-er." Shelton gently joked about the cultural confusion and explained how his serve borrows from the throwing motion.

The ATP World No. 10 improves to 23-14 and will face the winner of Jannik Sinner and Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, July 9.

Wimbledon quarterfinals begin on Tuesday, July 8.

This article first appeared on Serve on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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