American tennis star Ben Shelton won the ATP 250 tournament in Houston on Sunday. He beat compatriot Frances Tiafoe. With his win, Shelton became the tournament’s youngest champion since 19-year-old Andy Roddick in 2002.

Ben Shelton had kind words for Tiafoe in Houston

"You've been such an inspiration to kids, people of color in our sport.. Thanks for all you do for our sport & people who look like you and me."

1st African American men’s final in Open Era

Love this 🥹
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— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 7, 2024

After the victory, Shelton congratulated Tiafoe on his great performance and apologized for not giving him the chance to win back-to-back titles. Despite being the defending champion, Shelton hoped Tiafoe would win a title in Stuttgart, according to First Sportz.

“You’ve been such an inspiration to kids, people of color in our sport. Just an amazing representation,” Shelton said. “You’ve been that guy to always put on for us and always be selfless, thinking about others, kids younger than you. So thanks for everything that you do for our sport and people who look like you and me.”

Frances Tiafoe to Shelton after losing to him in Houston Final:

“Screw you Ben” 😂

pic.twitter.com/2oLBrhlMJC
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 7, 2024

When Ben Shelton delivered his speech, he was emotionally moved, while Frances Tiafoe chose to respond with humor. With Houston as his final destination, the 25-year-old viewed his season in retrospective and patted himself on the back.

“It’s been a really tough year and playing a final has been really great. It sucks we couldn’t get it done. Screw you, Ben! It would have been cool to get number four. We’ll get that soon enough. Let’s really build on this, and let’s have a good ’24,” Tifoe said.

ATP 250 tournament

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