Ben Shelton has declared himself “battle-tested” ahead of Friday night’s semifinal showdown against world No.1 Jannik Sinner at Australian Open 2025.
The American advanced to his career second semi at a Grand Slam after defeating Lorenzo Sonego in four sets at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday, fighting, diving, rolling – and at one point doing a push-up – to wrestle back momentum from the unrelenting Italian.
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“He’s a competitive monster out there, and I don’t think it was about tactics,” said his father and coach, Bryan Shelton. “In these big matches, late in the tournament, it’s more about heart, determination, attitude and character. Ben really showed his character.”
Shelton’s power and Sonego’s panache, especially at the net, had the crowd on its feet applauding multiple times throughout the match, the pair shaking hands following one rally in the second set following Sonego’s volley that could well be the point of the tournament. Even the umpire got involved, laughing and gesturing when a second ball from Shelton’s racquet came his way.
“There are some things I didn’t do great out there. I probably had one of my – my team was telling me – worst serving days,” Shelton reflected post-match.
“For the first two sets I think we were both trying to find our games a little bit. I haven’t spent too much time on that court. The wind was swirling. I was joking with my team, the first time hitting on that court in the last two years was the five-minute warm-up, so everything takes a little bit of time getting used to.”
Shelton also pointed to Sonego’s inspired play, the Italian playing in his first major quarterfinal.
“After the first two sets I thought he raised his level a lot. For me it felt like he was hitting winners on everything,” Shelton said.
“He punched me in the mouth. He started swinging big and landing a lot of body blows. It was tough to keep up with.
“So, I was just grinding out there, trying to fight through it. I’m just proud of myself to get through. Definitely feel battle-tested. He made a couple unforced errors, kind of opened the door for me. I was able to capitalise.”
The 22-year-old may be one of the most entertaining and, with his technicolour kit, colourful players to watch on-court.
Shelton’s infectious “come on” victory cry engages fans and his celebrations – flexing a bulging bicep or hanging up an invisible phone – have made headlines.
An unencumbered, ethereal roar at the end of the match showed how much the win over Sonego meant, but in a late post-match press conference, wearing a black jumper with hoodie raised, Shelton was a much calmer and more contemplative character, and shrugged off the title of “showman” when asked if he’d take that torch from Gael Monfils, who retired from their quarterfinal.
“I don’t know about showman,” Shelton said.
“I’m definitely trying to be more focused on the court. Passionate about being out there. I love being out there, and that energy comes out at times. In terms of showman, Gael is the GOAT.
“I see myself a little bit different out there,” Shelton continued. “I’ve been trying to have blinders on when I play, not notice too much outside the court, and be a little bit more focused and just locked in from start to finish.”
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Defending champion Sinner will be Shelton’s biggest test of AO 2025 so far, but even locked in, his character shines through, and he’s taken confidence from improved endurance.
“I’m not sure this is what I expected when my career started. Honestly, as a kid, once I stopped playing football, I was always a little bit heavy. Not fat, but just, like, heavy, carrying a lot of weight,” he said.
“I always struggled physically. I would get deep in matches, and I’d be cramping or tired and have no energy left. For me to be able to handle the physicality of five sets … it’s really special at these big tournaments.”
Instead of trying to play the perfect match, Shelton is focusing on playing to win – no matter what that looks like.
“Your base game has to be good enough that you can win at 70 per cent or 80 per cent. You don’t have to use everything in your arsenal and play perfect tennis to be winning out here,” he reflected.
“That that’s really, really important for me. A year ago, if I had a bad serving day, it was an ‘L’ [loss]. Or [a] year-and-a-half ago, I had a day where I came out and couldn’t hit my spots, it was automatic ‘L’. For me, that’s the growth. I’ve been working every single day to become a more well-rounded player. If you only have one thing to rely on, you know, gun misfires or the chamber is empty, you’re in trouble.”
As Shelton spoke to press on Wednesday night, Sinner was in the process of dispensing of Australian Alex de Minaur in straight sets. Shelton and his family-orientated team know they are going to have their hands full with the strawberry-blonde Italian, but far from shying away, they are well up for the challenge.
“I’ve been, in terms of my baseline play, a bit more conservative this tournament, okay with going deep in rallies. Probably have to step that up a little bit in the semifinals,” Shelton said of his meeting with Sinner, having won just one of the pair’s five prior meetings.
“I’m figuring out ways to make guys uncomfortable without just playing at my upper limits and slapping.
“I think that any time you get to line up against the best in the world is a great opportunity to improve your game and see where you’re at, and that’s what Friday will be for me.”
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