Ben Shelton is slowly getting there. He has all the power needed to be an accomplished player, but he needs to develop other parts of his game to get there. Touch has been lacking at the beginning of his career, but he might be starting to figure out that part, too.
His drop shot is nowhere near the weapon that Carlos Alcaraz's is, but it might not need to be. The Spaniard and the American have different approaches to the sport. Shelton will never have Alcaraz's variety of shots, but the Spaniard doesn't have Shelton's serve.
Still, while Alcaraz and Shelton are each only 22 years old, the Spaniard has five Grand Slams to his name, and the American hasn't yet reached a final at a major. Maybe he will at the 2025 US Open.
Ben Shelton shakes off Ignacio Buse to move on at the 2025 US Open
He certainly got off to a good overall start at the event. Playing feisty Peruvian Ignacio Buse, ranked 135 on the ATP tour, Ben Shelton traded holds halfway through the first set. Part of the issue was that the American kept piling up the unforced errors. He could have had at least one break, but kept giving away free points.
But talent most of the time eventually wins out. Shelton was able to get a break at 4-3 and then was able to hold to take the set. He was beginning to play tighter. Buse wasn't playing poorly, and certainly didn't seem nervous, but he doesn't have the power or versatility of game to yet compete with players like Shelton.
The second set worked its way into the same situation, only Shelton got an earlier break and then another to basically seal the set.
Through two sets, Ben Shelton had not only evened his winners with his unforced errors, but pushed the number of winners forward. At Shelton's level, Ignacio Buse had no real answer. He entered the third set with little hope, though he should have felt his own level was decent.
The third set followed suit. Shelton got an early break and had another. Instead, Shelton held serve to end his day early and get the win 6-3 6-2 6-4. He will next play Pablo Llamas Ruiz or Pablo Carreño Busta in the second round.