Ben Shelton won’t be leaving River Oaks as a singles champion this year, but he also won’t be leaving Houston empty handed. The top-seeded singles player, eliminated by Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante in Friday’s quarterfinal round, will be playing for something bigger than himself in Sunday’s doubles championship match against the top-seeded Brazilian duo of Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos.
Joined by his close friend and former collegiate teammate, Andres “Andy” Andrade, Shelton will be in good company on the doubles court regardless of Sunday’s outcome. Both players have shared history and camaraderie, helping lead the Florida Gators to its first NCAA team title in program history in 2021. They’ve reunited this week with a familiar voice in their corner — Shelton’s father, Bryan, who served as Florida’s former head coach.
Since their collegiate days, their professional paths have diverged sharply. Andrade, 27, has competed predominantly on the ITF and ATP Challenger circuits and currently sits at a career-high singles ranking of No. 218.
Shelton, 23, has soared up the ATP rankings since turning pro in 2022, cracking the Top 5 for the first time last fall and continuing to trade the top American ranking with Taylor Fritz. Shelton again passed Fritz this week and is projected to rise to No. 8 in next week’s ATP rankings. As a result, Andrade and Shelton don’t cross paths often on the ATP Tour, which gives an added purpose to their doubles partnership this week.
Though Shelton’s pro career has reached different heights than Andrade’s, Shelton was quick to acknowledge that his teammate had the upper hand during their college days.
“This week has been amazing - I don’t get to spend too much time with them on the ATP Tour,” said Andrade. “I texted Coach yesterday and told him how it feels like a nice flashback to a few years ago when we were all practicing and traveling together every week.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever beaten him in practice before,” said Shelton. “To this day, I’m still trying to get in the win column against Andy. I’m learning a lot from him, especially on how to hit backhands and drop shots.”
This week in Houston, Shelton and Andrade have won three matches en route to the final, defeating a mix of established teams and decorated doubles players, including grand slam champions Rajeev Ram and Rinky Hijikata. Their toughest test awaits Sunday.
A title would be the first ATP doubles crown for both players. For Shelton, a victory would also add a rare US Clay distinction: winning both singles and doubles titles at River Oaks on separate occasions. The last player to accomplish this was American Mardy Fish, who won the 2004 doubles title and 2006 singles title.
“I’m 100% going to take this as seriously as a singles final, especially since I’m playing with my close friend and old teammate, Andy,” said Shelton. “My focus is singles out here on the tour, but any weeks that I get to do well in doubles is a lot of fun. I enjoy competing and going after it, and hopefully we can take the title this week.”
Former Gators Face Tough Brazilian Test
Although Shelton is the top-ranked singles player in the field, he and Andrade will enter Sunday as underdogs against one of the ATP’s most in-form doubles teams. Since joining forces at the beginning of the season, top seeds Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos have been on a tear, especially on clay.
The Brazilians, 20–6 on the year, are seeking their third title of 2026 after winning clay trophies in Buenos Aires and Santiago during South America’s “Golden Swing” in February. They’ve also translated their chemistry onto hard courts, winning three matches at the Australian Open to reach the quarterfinals.
A win on Sunday would deliver their first US Clay title — and further cement their status as one of the season’s most successful doubles teams. Though early in the season, they currently sit at No. 7 in the ATP Finals Race, putting them in a strong position to qualify for the ATP Finals at the end of the season.
After narrowly defeating Americans Nate Lammons and Jackson Withrow in their opener, Luz and Matos have looked increasingly comfortable, winning both their quarterfinal and semifinal matches in straight sets. Sunday will mark their first meeting against Shelton and Andrade.
“We’re very happy with our year and week so far, but there’s still one match to go and we aren’t going to stop here,” Luz said. “We’re going to need to buy a helmet to get ready for Ben’s serve. It’s a pleasure to be here in Houston for the final, and we’re excited to put on a good show for the fans.”
“We play similarly and are good friends off the court,” Matos added. “We play a bit of unusual doubles, playing both from the back and embracing longer rallies. We like to use the baseline and lob to our advantage and both serve well. We’re ready for a tough match on Sunday.”
Sunday’s doubles final will take place at 12 p.m., prior to the singles final.
