Ben Shelton's sister Emma celebrates brother’s epic comeback win at Wimbledon 1R against Mattia Bellucci

Ben Shelton’s sister Emma was overjoyed as her brother pulled off a remarkable comeback victory over Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci in the first round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Shelton, who is ranked No. 14 in the world, overcame a two-sets-to-one deficit and two rain delays to prevail 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a match that spanned two days.

Ben Shelton, 21, comes from a tennis family as both his parents, Bryan and Lisa were former players and his sister Emma is a senior on the University of Florida women’s tennis team. The 23-year-old has won several accolades while playing for the ITA and SEC.

In a seesaw battle, Shelton clashed with Bellucci who had just earned his Wimbledon debut with three qualifying-round wins. The Italian came out swinging, claiming the first set 6-4, but Shelton battled back in the second, taking it 6-3 to even the match. Bellucci fought back and snatched the third set 6-3.

Darkness forced the match to pause on July 1st, leaving Shelton in a precarious position. However, returning the next day with newfound focus, he secured the fourth set 6-3. Despite two rain delays disrupting the fifth set, Shelton held onto his momentum and finished the match with an ace at 5-4. The match went on for a total of three hours and 29 minutes.

Emma Shelton took to Instagram to express her pride, posting a picture of her brother with a match report, writing:

"Competitor!! [lion emoji]"

Emma Shelton's Instagram Stories (@_emmashelton)

14th seed Ben Shelton advanced to the second round where he will face South African qualifier Lloyd Harris on Wednesday (July 3). The American will be the favorite to advance to the third round where he will face either Daniel Altmaier or Denis Shapovalov.

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Ben Shelton and sister Emma share Florida Gators roots in tennis

Emma and Ben Shelton have both been integral members of the Florida Gators tennis team. Emma joined the Gators in June 2021 after leaving Unitersity of South Carolina, where she had won the 2020 ITA Carolina Region Rookie of the Year award.

Emma Shelton, mother Lisa Witsken, and father Bryan at the 2023 US Open - Getty Images

The 23-year-old continued her success with the Gators by winning the Green Bracket individual title at the Bedford Cup and a match at the Miami Fall invite in the 2022-23 season.

Ben Shelton had joined the Gators a year earlier, in June 2020, and led them to their first NCAA Team Championships in 2021.