US Open Shelton Turns Pro Tennis

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — NCAA tennis champion Ben Shelton is leaving the University of Florida to turn pro.

The 19-year-old Shelton, who was born in Atlanta, announced his decision Tuesday on

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Twitter.

He received a wild-card invitation for the U.S. Open, which begins in New York on Monday.

Shelton won the 2022 college singles championship as a sophomore for Florida. His father, former professional tennis player Bryan, coaches the Gators.

Shelton is ranked 171st this week. He is a left-hander who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds on the ATP website.

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Shelton made his ATP debut at Atlanta last month and won his first match there, before losing to 2018 Wimbledon semifinalist John Isner in a third-set tiebreaker.

Last week at Cincinnati, Shelton beat No. 5 Casper Ruud, this year's French Open runner-up, by a 6-3, 6-3 score, making Shelton the youngest U.S. man to defeat an opponent ranked in the top five since Andy Roddick in 2001.

Roddick was the last American man to win a Grand Slam title, doing so at the 2003 U.S. Open.

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