Ben Shelton, a 22-year-old Atlanta native, is through to his first Australian Open semi-final after defeating Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4) on Wednesday in Melbourne.
Shelton has competed in only one previous Grand Slam semi-final, when he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia at the 2023 US Open.
On Wednesday, Shelton prevailed by playing a steadier ground game than his opponent. Sonego finished with a slight edge in winners, 63-54, but he committed far more unforced errors, 55-33.
“I feel relieved right now, shoutout to Lorenzo Sonego because that was some ridiculous tennis,” Shelton said afterwards on court. “I’m just really happy to be through, to get my first win on Rod Laver Arena. Thanks everybody for coming out, it was one of my favourite matches of my career.“
The No 21 seed, Shelton has met just one other seeded player in the current fortnight, when he beat No 16 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the third round. His semi-final foe will be the winner of the last quarter-final on Wednesday: reigning champion and top seed Jannik Sinner of Italy or No 8 seed Alex de Minaur of Australia.
Shelton told the crowd regarding his potential Friday foe: “If it’s the home favourite Alex de Minaur, you guys can boo me, throw stuff at my head. I understand. If it’s the No 1 in the world, it’ll probably be the same, so I’m looking forward to it. I know I got a few in the crowd who are going to be pulling for me, too.”
Shelton has just two ATP tournament titles, both in relatively minor events: the 2023 Japan Open in Tokyo and the 2024 US Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston. Last year, he failed to reach the quarter-finals in all four grand slam tournaments.
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