Ben Shelton bounced from French Open in second-round stunner

Ben Shelton fell in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4, against Raphael Collingnon in the second round of the French Open (Roland-Garros) on Thursday.

It’s the latest in a series of upset losses for Shelton this year, who has gone 2-5 in Majors and Grand Slams since a quarterfinal appearance in the Australian Open in January. Hopes were high for the former Gator, who has won a pair of 500-point tournaments this year, including the BMW Open on clay in April.

Collignon broke Shelton at the perfect moment in the opening set, relying on his cross-court backhand. Shelton tried the up-close approach in the second set, searching for forehands at the net. Collignon answered accordingly, playing the return with great precision. A couple of mistakes led to a late break, putting Shelton in a 2-0 hole.

By the third set, Shelton was visibly frustrated and wasn’t moving with the same focus he usually does. Collignon didn’t back down and wrapped up the biggest win of his career. It took just two hours, and Shelton never reached break point.

“Been a brutal couple of months for me to say the least,” Shelton captioned his latest Instagram post. “But like I’ve said before, the failure only fuels me and I got a lot to be grateful for. See you guys on the (grass).”

Ben Shelton’s world ranking

Shelton wasn’t the only seeded player to fall in the early rounds in Paris. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Danill Medvedv, Taylor Fritz and Alexander Bublik all lost in the first two rounds, allowing Shelton to hold his No. 5 ranking. Felix Auger-Aliassime leapfrogged Shelton, but Novak Djokovic’s Round of 32 exit means Shelton still holds steady.

The only player still alive in the French Open who can pass by Shelton is Falvio Cobolli

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Ben Shelton loses to Raphael Collignon in French Open Round 2