benflavio dc 24 semifinal is the gayest match i've ever seen. i know that's a high bar but it's not even close. ben comes into this match CLEARLY in a mood TM. that geneva loss from one set up to the world #48 at the time must have stung and obviously it's so much worse when your opponent is this buck-toothed tattooed italian god with big dumb wet blue eyes like how are you supposed to not feel some kind of way about that. he delays Flavio's opening service game because he has to aggressively wipe down the floor and wall with a towel (???) while flavio stands there looking confused. does not apologize for the delay. from the very first game he is SO intense and SO fired up even by his usual standard. he breaks flavio in the very first game and yells loudly about it and then in the second game takes a full headshot at him while they're at the net and then fistpumps. absolutely no remorse for this. from there ben gets progressively ornery. comms says "he's trying to go with the intimidation factor" like lmao yeah ok if he looks as aggressive and masculine as possible maybe it'll hide his big gay feelings!!!!! during change of ends he insists AGAIN to the umpire and ball kids that they need to dry the walls. (this is three games in.) flavio is much more contained by comparison but make no mistake he is perceiving he is noticing he is reacting. comms says during change of ends: "interesting to watch. cobolli taking a peek over at shelton, as if he's just checking on his opponent. maybe occupying some space in his head." INTERESTING INDEED. flavio breaks back and lets out a yell of his own. set 2 they both settle down but they both spend a lot of time taking off their shirts during (separate) change of ends. yes yes dc in august it's hot and humid i know but the first time ben waits until the very last second so that flavio is walking directly in front of him as he does and flavio very pointedly Does Not Look! set 3 ben gets broken pretty early and never manages to break back and at this point he is genuinely pissed like by talos this can't be happening (again). comms says "cobolli might've gotten in the head of ben shelton" bro you THINK? he gives flavio the quickest handshake of all time and does not look him in the eye and then fucks right off as soon as he can lmao. fellas is it gay to let the guy who's beaten you twice in a row occupy this much real estate in your brain

it is truly insane he is so fucking WEIRD this entire match like flavio is so obviously under his skin it is theeee definition of "you wanna fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid"

Miami practice (March 2024)

Our first documented benflavio interaction!!!! 

Flavio had two lefties in his draw. Ben has said people hit him up to practice when it looks like they’ll play lefties and otherwise they don’t like to practice with him

During the tournament, Ben had his second loss against Lorenzo Musetti (this’ll be important later)

2. Geneva Open (May 2024)

First ever match <3 

Round of 16

Ben lost in three after winning the first set and was up a break in the second before Flavio broke back on an insane point

4-6, 7-6, 6-2

Pretty friendly net interaction, if not a bit awkward

Flavio was not yet sponsored by ON at this point 

3. Flavio ON sponsorship (Summer 2024)

4. Wimbledon (July 2024)

They played a doubles match but there is no video record of it anywhere… and believe me, we’ve looked :(

Partnered with McDonald and Sonego

5. DC Open (August 2024)

Ben skipping the Olympics specifically to win this tournament

The lore post for this has already been written hehehe but in general it was SPICY AF and Ben was furious when he lost, to say the least

4-6 7-5 6-3

6. Ben’s comment on Flavio’s Instagram post (August 2024) tyyyyy tumblr user sixgamestolove for surfacing this

7. US Open event (August 2024)

NYC ON event you will always be famous

 It was SO flirty, there are tons of pictures 

They were doing all these drills and games and stuff with some wannabe influencers but tbh it was just an excuse to flirt with each other…

8. Laver Cup (September 2024)

Pre-tournament ON event

Flavio’s concern when Ben fell, the weird flirting interaction they had at the bench, THE ASS SLAP

9. “Good looking? American?” “Ben Shelton :D” (October 2024)

10. Flavio calling Ben his “big rival” for the year (February 2025 but probably filmed in January because Flavio had that horrible haircut)

11. Ben beating Musetti at AO from 0-2 in the H2H and bringing up the daddy thing (January 2025)

12. Acapulco Open (February 2025)

Ben won 7-6 7-6

Finally! 0-2, not 0-3 baby!!!

“This is one I wanted really bad” against an unseeded opponent on a losing streak in the first round of a 500

13. Ben does an ON event in Miami with Fonseca but not Flavio (March 2025)

14. Flavio listing his non-Italian besties in an interview post sunshine double and Ben is not on the list (April 2025)

He names Griekspoor, ADF, and Mensik

15. Benflavio Munich practice (April 2025)

16. Ben sneaking pictures of Flavio in Rome (May 2025)

Ben a little flirty and Flavio a little uhhh ignoring him

17. Wimbledon QFs (July 2025)

Ben’s increasingly lopsided H2H with Jannik and the way he doesn’t care as much as his record against Flavio

They were one match each away from playing each other but Ben lost to Jannik and Flavio lost to Novak

18. Almost playing in DC (August 2025)

Ben bringing up the possibility of playing Flavio when the comms just assumed it was gonna be Frances

19. Toronto Open!!!! (August 2025)

The match

6-4 4-6 7-6

Ben’s 100th career win but he didn’t care even a little bit 

The fight

The on-court interview

“He said it wasn’t towards me so we’re cool” are you though

The press conference

20. Ben doing another NY ON event… by himself (August 2025)

21. Flavio watching Ben’s match in Shanghai with Comesaña and Rinderknech (October 2025)

22. Paris <3 <3 <3 (October 2025)

23. Ben putting Flavio on the “nice cake” in this ATP video (December 2025)

24. “I played Cobolli, who I looked after and [he] was #24 in the world, but it felt on that day like, you know, he was a top 15 player…there’s just plenty of examples…what you’re going to get from a certain guy has nothing to do with the number next to his name.” - Ben at AO26 (January 2026)

25. The football video in Dallas (February 2026)

Flavio and Ben’s subsequent comments

26. “Shirt off, hair flowing” (March 2026)

27. The football date (April 2026)

Not there for any sponsor reasons, they just went to a football match together

Also Zv*rev want to the same match but they were NOT together

Ben filming Flavio and posting it on his Instagram story

28. First final in Munich!!!! (April 2026)

Giggling and goofing off at the net before the match

The hug

THE SPEECHES

Flavio’s speech: “Me and Ben, we started the week together cheering for Bayern Munich”

Ben’s speech

“I always cheer for you”

“Your match yesterday was a privilege to watch”

“Top 10 soon”

Ben commenting a red heart on Flavio’s Instagram post

“Fascist FIFA"