"One of the toughest losses I’ve taken": Ben Shelton crestfallen amid Wimbledon exit as US Open preparation begins quicker than expected

Wednesday, 01 July 2026 at 06:30

Ben Shelton suffered his first opening round loss at Wimbledon after losing out to Otto Virtanen in a pretty damning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(9) loss for the American.

Shelton was pretty down after his loss after coming into the tournament with high hopes as the top-seeded American and fourth seed. But although on the women's side, Jessica Pegula spoke previously about wrangling with being expected over being unexpected.

She now takes the view that she isn't going to do as well after coming into the tournament every year with people thinking it might be the year and perhaps in Shelton's mind, the expectation proved too much to handle.

Albeit gracious, Shelton who tasted recent title success albeit with his girlfriend Trinity Rodman in tow who wasn't there today praised Virtanen for making sure that Shelton could not provide any answers to his prowess.

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“One of the toughest losses I’ve taken, for sure," said Shelton post-match as per ATP. "I feel like it was an uphill battle all day today. I was pretty off on my serve spot, so I wasn't getting many free points. I was having to grind through a lot of the games. Virtanen was playing really well and downhill from the baseline… The guy came up with some ridiculous stuff in those moments, really good tennis. Sometimes it happens like that.”

“I think the way that he was playing, hitting the ball, it definitely forced my hand," Shelton said. "He's playing aggressively. He wasn't really making any mistakes. Towards the end, any ball I left semi-hanging, he was ripping a winner… I thought I put myself in a great position to win at the end. He came up with the goods.”

Ben Shelton looks on during defeat.

US Open awaits

Telling reporters that it has been a 'complete roller-coaster', he now wants to shut off the grass court season and heads towards home and the US Open in late August, aiming to do well there.

With tournaments such as Washington before Cincinnati and Canada, Shelton can find himself back in action quickly but it will surely be a tough loss to bear.

“There is a lot you can look back on and wish it could have gone differently,” Shelton said. “Obviously for me now, it's just focusing on the U.S. hard-court swing. Obviously a much earlier exit here than I would have hoped, but the best part of the season for me is coming up.”

This also on a day where despite now being second American, Taylor Fritz took care of business in Dusan Lajovic with his new Lacoste coat and won through showing that despite Shelton losing, there are some victors on that side of the court.

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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