Ben Shelton clinched his fifth ATP crown after edging past Flavio Cobolli in straight sets to clinch the Munich Open crown on Sunday.

The American, who lost to Alexander Zverev in the final last year, took just 90 minutes to get his 6-2 7-5 win over Cobolli and ensure history did not repeat itself.

Shelton broke in the first game but had to show his mettle in the second as he fended off six break points.

He raced into a 4-0 lead but wasted six set points of his own at 5-1 up. Cobolli delayed the end of the first set with a hold in that game, but only for a little while, as Shelton finally converted his ninth set point.

Cobolli found his footing in the second set, with little to separate the pair in the early stages as they matched each other blow for blow.

Shelton eventually found his edge once more in the 11th game, getting another vital break before he served out the championship in style.

New trophy, fresh fit @BMWOpen500 | #BMWOpenbyBitpanda | @BenShelton pic.twitter.com/GP4TlM9edM

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 19, 2026

"I came out at a really high level and have done that before against him," Shelton said in his on-court interview.

"The toughest thing is maintaining it as he raises his level. I managed to do that in the second set and played some great tennis. I am happy with my performance this week. I got better and better as the week went on, and I am happy with the work me and the team put in.

"I have big ambitions for the clay courts. It is a surface I want to get better on each year. It is slowly becoming one of my favourite surfaces to play on."

Data Debrief: New horizons

Since 2000, Shelton has become just the fifth American to win an ATP-level event on clay outside the United States, following the likes of Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Sam Querrey and Sebastian Korda.

Shelton, who won his second clay title, is the first American to win a title above ATP 250 level since Agassi in Rome in 2002.