Houston, April 6 (IANS) Andres Andrade and Ben Shelton capped a dream run at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship when they won their first tour-level title together.

Shelton and Andrade captured the US Clay doubles with a comeback win over top-seeded Brazilians Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos. After dropping the opening set, the former Florida Gators rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 victory in the deciding match tiebreaker.

Shelton, currently No. 9 in the ATP Rankings, lost to Thiago Agustin Tirante in the singles quarter-final, but continued battling in doubles to claim his first ATP Tour doubles trophy. With the triumph, the 23-year-old became the first American doubles champion in Houston since Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in 2016. Shelton also won the singles title in 2024.

Shelton also became just the third player this century to win both the singles and doubles titles in Houston, joining Mardy Fish (2004, 2006) and Andy Roddick (2002).

It is also a first tour-level doubles crown for Andrade. With the Houston trophy, the 27-year-old became the first Ecuadorian to win a tour-level doubles title since Gonzalo Escobar in Estoril in 2024.

The 27-year-old, currently ranked a career-high No. 218 in singles, became the first Ecuadorian US Clay title winner in 40 years since Andres Gomez won in 1986. He’s also only the fifth Ecuadorian man to win an ATP doubles title in Open Era history.

Luz and Matos, the Buenos Aires and Santiago champions, were seeking their third title of 2026. They would have tied Harri Heliovaara/Henry Patten and Theo Arribage/Albano Olivetti as the only teams to claim three tour-level titles this season had they won. The Brazilians hold a 20-7 record this season, according to the ATP Win/Loss Index.

After Houston, Shelton and Andrade will return to their usual tour rhythms. Shelton heads to Europe to continue his spring schedule in Munich, Madrid, Rome, and eventually Roland Garros, while Andrade remains stateside on the ITF and Challenger circuits, beginning with the Sarasota Challenger

–IANS

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