ATP Tour

Shelton survives Humbert in Washington rollercoaster: 'One of the best atmospheres in tennis'

Ben Shelton is thrilled to be back playing tennis on his home American soil.

The World No. 8 continued his strong start to the North American hard-court swing on Thursday evening at the Mubadala DC Open, rallying from a first-set deficit to oust Ugo Humbert 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 in a rollercoaster match that lasted two hours and 27 minutes.

“I'm addicted to stuff like this: playing in these atmospheres and these types of matches," Shelton said. "[Washington] is one of the best atmospheres in tennis 100 per cent."

The match epitomised why Shelton relishes playing in front of home crowds, and why he often produces his best tennis at this time of year. The American fed off the energy of the home crowd all night to stave off the gritty upset effort from Humbert, producing a flurry of highlight-reel shots and clutch winners to lift him over the finish line. He did not wilt despite falling behind early and ultimately fell back on his strong serving when it mattered most to advance to his 30th tour-level quarter-final and third consecutive quarter-final in Washington.

“I though it was a great level we played out there tonight and it was even better to come out with the win," Shelton said. "Just grateful for another chance to play here in D.C. on a Friday night".

Shelton has thrived during the North American hard-court swing in the past few seasons, where he is 22-7 since last July including a headline run to a first ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto last summer.

The American No. 1 has also saved some of his best tennis for the ATP 500 level, especially in 2026, when he has already won titles in Dallas and Munich. Thursday’s victory over Humbert moved Shelton to 15-2 in 500 events this season as he aims to better his two previous semi-final runs in Washington from 2024 and 2025. The win also moves Shelton into his eighth quarter-final of the 2026 season, trailing only Alexander Zverev and Luciano Darderi for the most quarter-finals reached on Tour this year.

Next up for Shelton will be a Friday-night showdown with Alejandro Tabilo, who prevailed over Terence Atmane in another battle of left-handers in Washington on Thursday. The Chilean’s 6-3, 7-6(6) victory lifted him into his fifth quarter-final of the season.