A day after wrapping up his second-round Wimbledon match in all of about a minute, American Ben Shelton was nearly as efficient Saturday against Marton Fucsovics, winning in straight sets to reach the round of 16 at the All England Club for a second consecutive year.
At age 22, Shelton, who made the semifinals of the Australian Open and fourth round at Roland Garros, is the youngest American man to make three major round-of-16 appearances in one year since Andy Roddick did so in 2004, just after his 22nd birthday.
Shelton also became the fourth American man in the past 20 years to win his first three Wimbledon matches in straight sets, following Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz in 2022, and Roddick in 2007.
Shelton, who just recently cracked the ATP’s top 10, and Fritz are the only American men remaining in the draw. They are on opposite sides, with the fifth-seeded Fritz set to face Australia’s Jordan Thompson on Sunday for a spot in the fourth round.
“I had a lot of fun,” Shelton said of the 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2 win, which he closed out in 2 hours. “It’s always special playing here at Wimbledon … Court 1 is a special court.”
He then added, “I’m trying to make my way to Centre Court — maybe I’ll get there one day.”
Through three matches at the All England Club, Shelton has played 6 hours and 41 minutes. His opponent in the next round, Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, played 5 hours and 4 minutes on Saturday alone, and has spent 9 hours and 49 minutes on court for the tournament.
Shelton and Sonego last played at the French Open, with the American winning in five sets.
ESPN Research contributed to this report.
