Ben Shelton Advances at Indian Wells After Tight Win Over Reilly Opelka
Friday, March 6, 2026 (ET) — ben shelton defeated Reilly Opelka in a three-set match at Indian Wells to reach the third round. The result matters now because Learner Tien also won two tiebreaks today, producing an all-American lefty rematch that was set by both men winning their matches on the same day.
Ben Shelton Holds Off Opelka in Three-Set Battle
Ben Shelton lost the first-set tiebreak 7-6 but rallied to win 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, prevailing on a single service break. Opelka served 23 aces and at times seemed to push the momentum, yet Shelton did not face a break point across the match. The contest lasted two hours, 12 minutes, and the decisive moment came with Shelton converting his third match point after securing the lone break for a 4-2 lead in the final set.
Shelton showed signs of fatigue during the match, stashing his water bottle in the towel box and sometimes sipping water when heading to the towel, but he answered a critical second-set stretch by reeling off four straight points to swing the tiebreak. When Opelka netted a forehand to cede a mini break at 5-4 in that breaker, Shelton produced a low forehand defense and a diagonal forehand winner that forced the final set.
Learner Tien’s Tiebreak Wins Push Him to 50 Tour-Level Victories
Learner Tien turned back Adam Walton 7-6, 7-6 to record his first BNP Paribas Open victory and capture his 50th career Tour-level win. The 20-year-old SoCal native became the youngest American man to reach 50 Tour-level wins since a 19-year-old Andy Roddick in 2002. Tien emphasized the tournament’s importance to him, saying the win means a lot and that performing well in this event is a priority.
Prior Meeting and Hard-Court Form Raise Stakes for Ben Shelton-Tien Rematch
The match will be a rematch of their lone prior meeting, when Tien topped Shelton 6-4, 7-6 on the Mallorca grass last summer. Toronto champion Shelton will face Tien for the first time on hard courts, creating a classic contrast between Shelton’s powerful serve and Tien’s sharp return game. Shelton enters the rematch on the back of a streak: he scored his sixth straight win and improved to 9-0 versus American compatriots on hard courts since losing to Frances Tiafoe in the 2024 US Open third round.
The combination of Tien’s milestone 50th win and Shelton’s recent run is the specific trigger for interest in this meeting: both players cleared tense matches today to put themselves on a collision course in the next round at Indian Wells.
The third-round meeting between the two left-handers is the next confirmed event at the tournament; scheduling details for the match have not been announced. More details are expected as the tournament releases session times.
