"Only thing I'm mad about": Ben Shelton on his Houston title win vs Frances Tiafoe clashing with Iowa vs South Carolina NCAA women's basketball final

Ben Shelton had one complaint when it came to his ATP 250 Houston triumph against Frances Tiafoe. The American jokingly called out the scheduling of his final match, which clashed with the NCAA women’s basketball final between Iowa Hawkeyes and South Carolina Gamecocks.

Shelton won his first-ever claycourt title at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston on Sunday, April 7. The young American beat his compatriot and defending champion Tiafoe 7-5 4-6, 6-3, crossing the finish line after two hours and 16 minutes of play

The title clash, scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, coincided with the highly-anticipated NCAA women’s basketball final featuring the woman of the moment, University of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. The game similarly commenced at 3 p.m. ET.

The NCAA event, which saw South Carolina defeat Iowa 87-75 for a third title, garnered immense attention from sports fans over the past week. The Elite 8 game between Iowa and LSU shattered several viewership records, making it the most-watched women’s college basketball game in history.

Ben Shelton, an avid supporter of the event, made his feelings known about the scheduling clash.

"Only thing I’m mad about this weekend is that my final in Houston was at the same time as the SC IOWA game," the two-time NCAA champion wrote on X.

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Ben Shelton reaches new career-high ranking after Houston triumph against Frances Tiafoe

Shelton (R) with replace Taylor Fritz as the new American No. 1 come April 15

Ben Shelton has managed to flip the script during the 2024 claycourt season after struggling with his form on the red dirt last year.

The American made his claycourt debut in 2023 and won a mere two matches on the main tour against seven losses. It thus goes without saying that with his victories over Zizou Bergs, Brandon Nakashima, Tomas Etcheverry, and Frances Tiafoe in Houston, Shelton is off to an encouraging start in 2024.

Thanks to his stellar results in recent months, which include his maiden title at the ATP 500 Japan Open in 2023, and a semifinal appearance at the US Open, Ben Shelton has now reached a new career-high ranking of World No. 14. Additionally, the 21-year-old is all set to replace Taylor Fritz as the new American No. 1 next week, as a consequence of the latter's early exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Shelton won't be in action at the ongoing Masters event. He is expected to resume his campaign at the Madrid Open.