Ben Shelton joins Andre Agassi on exclusive list after win in Munich

American Ben Shelton clinched his fifth ATP Tour title on Sunday, April 19, after taking down Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-5 at the BMW Open by Bitpanda in Munich.

“I am happy with my performance this week,” said Shelton following his win. “I got better and better as the week went on and I am happy with the work me and the team put in.”

What’s even more impressive is that Shelton managed to earn this win on clay, a surface Americans have notoriously struggled on. In fact, Shelton’s win, his first on clay in top-20 play, was the first American victory on clay at an ATP level above 250 since Andre Agassi did so in Rome in 2002.

Shelton said clay is becoming one of his favorite surfaces to play on. He claimed, “I have big ambitions for the clay courts. It is a surface I want to get better on each year.”

Ben Shelton in elite company

Shelton’s win also makes him one of just five Americans to win a tour event on clay outside the U.S. since 2000, joining Agassi, Andy Roddick, Sam Querrey and Sebastian Korda.

Furthermore, since 2009, Shelton is the only American ever to win three ATP 500 titles.

How did Ben Shelton defeat Flavio Cobolli?

Shelton won in consecutive sets: 6-2, 7-5.

Shelton was dominant on the serve, earning four aces throughout the match. He also saved every break point he faced, while converting three of his own.

Cobolli certainly didn’t go down easy. In fact, he saved eight set points, six of which were on his own serve, before falling in the set. As Shelton put it, “The toughest thing is maintaining it as (Cobolli) raises his level. I managed to do that in the second set and played some great tennis.”

Where does Shelton rank in the ATP World Rankings?

Shelton ranks No. 6 in the ATP Live Tour Rankings. His win at the BMW Open granted him 170 points, moving him just 30 points behind No. 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Shelton is the highest-ranking American, with Taylor Fritz ranking No. 7 currently.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ben Shelton becomes first American to win three ATP 500 titles