Melbourne, Jan 26 (.) Safe to say Ben Shelton will never forget his first Australian Open in 2023. Then a newcomer to international tennis with little experience outside the United States, the American stunned the field by reaching the quarterfinals in only his second Grand Slam main draw.
Three years on, the love affair continues.
The 23-year-old powered into his third Australian Open quarterfinal on Monday night, defeating 12th seed Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a high-octane fourth-round clash at Rod Laver Arena.
Shelton sealed the win in emphatic fashion, cracking a 228 km/h serve on the penultimate point and finishing with a forehand winner. He struck 14 aces in all, repeatedly lighting up the Melbourne crowd with his explosive left-handed serve.
Asked by former Australian Open champion Jim Courier why he thrives at the season’s first major, Shelton cupped his ear to the spectators, drawing a rousing response from the stands.
He later said the atmosphere was a key factor in his success. He described himself as a competitor who feeds off rowdy spectators, adding that Australia never falls short in that department. From his first experience playing at John Cain Arena, Shelton said he fell in love with the tournament, calling it one of his favourites on the calendar.
Shelton’s run underlined his comfort on the biggest stage. Still in the early phase of his career, the world No.7 has now reached the second week in four of his last five Grand Slam appearances. The only exception came at the US Open last year, where he was forced to retire in the third round while leading Adrian Mannarino after suffering a shoulder injury.
At the majors, only Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have managed to halt his progress in recent times. Shelton will get another chance to change that narrative when he faces two-time defending champion Sinner in the quarterfinals. The Italian had beaten Shelton in the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open.
Shelton said returning to Melbourne was always a major motivation, adding that he wanted another opportunity to improve on what he felt he left undone last year. He said he still had much more to prove and promised to be ready when he steps back on court in two days’ time.
For Ruud, the loss ended a solid campaign that saw the Norwegian equal his career-best Australian Open result by reaching the fourth round. The three-time Grand Slam finalist had entered the tournament under some uncertainty, with his partner heavily pregnant and plans in place to return to Europe immediately if the baby arrived.
The match itself swung on a series of late-set lapses from Ruud. After taking the opening set, he appeared in control in the second, having won 36 of his previous 44 service points before serving at 5-4. But a missed volley, followed by a costly double fault and a long backhand, opened the door for Shelton, who seized the set and the momentum.
The pattern repeated in the third set, where Ruud again let a commanding position slip at 40-15, another double fault proving decisive. From there, Shelton surged ahead, continuing to unload serves above 220 km/h in the fourth set before finally breaking through at 4-3.
An exclamation mark arrived in the final game as Shelton unleashed his fastest serve of the night and closed out the contest in style, much to the delight of a packed Rod Laver Arena.
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