Ben Shelton got here to Australia with a reasonably touristy wishlist for his first worldwide journey. The 20-year-old American wished to “go see some animals…koalas or kangaroos, one thing like that”.
Koala, examine. Wallaby, examine. Australian Open quarter-final, examine.
The final bit wasn’t a part of the plan, a “dream” he’ll additionally take house now aside from the recollections of his journey.
Shelton edged previous fellow American JJ Wolf 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-2 within the fourth spherical on Monday to be among the many final eight males in Melbourne in simply his second Grand Slam. Certain, the draw has been sort on the world No 89—Shelton went previous unseeded Zhang Zhizhen (Spherical 1), Nicolas Jarry (Spherical 2) and Alexei Popyrin (Spherical 3)—however for a recently-turned professional enjoying his first match exterior his house nation, the second week of a Slam isn’t the place he would have anticipated to be.
The southpaw from Atlanta definitely didn’t when his passport had been stamped for the primary time earlier this month in Adelaide, the place he crashed out within the opening qualifying spherical of the ATP 250 occasion.
“Yeah, undoubtedly a shock,” Shelton mentioned of his Australian Open run. “I obtained on to the aircraft with no expectations. I do know it is very onerous to regulate to Australia from america… being my first time and by no means out of america, I knew it will be a battle.
“It possibly has helped me just a little bit, not having that feeling that I’ve to carry out. Simply go on the market, be myself and play free.”
Shelton carries the game in his genes. His father, Bryan, was a former world No 55 professional; his mom is the sister of Todd Witsken, the ex-doubles world No 4; his elder sister is within the College of Florida girls’s tennis crew. Shelton was a part of the college’s 2021 NCAA males’s championship crew and likewise lifted the singles collegiate crown final yr. It helped that his father, the “largest affect” in his younger tennis profession, coaches at College of Florida.
“It wasn’t a straightforward avenue for him, so he is aware of all of the struggles of constructing it out right here. It is priceless to have the ability to have that information and that particular person to go to,” Shelton mentioned.
Turning professional after the 2022 NCAA singles title, Shelton performed 11 Challenger occasions final yr, all of them within the US. He gained three and reached three different finals to make the rankings bounce from 547th in Could. In his house ATP Tour debut in Atlanta in July, he beat India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan within the first spherical earlier than shedding to compatriot John Isner. A month later in his first ATP Masters in Cincinnati, the then 229th-ranked Shelton surprised world No 56 Lorenzo Sonego and world No 5 Casper Ruud within the opening two rounds.
The promising expertise was handed a wild card into the US Open fundamental draw, the place Shelton went right down to Portuguese Nuno Borges in a five-set first spherical. Within the six months from Flushing Meadows to Melbourne Park the place his life has flipped as dramatically as his first outing exterior of the US shores, Shelton believes the largest change has been in his physique.
To go together with an enormous serve—he gained 82% factors on first serve on Monday—and a dangerous forehand—26 of his 31 groundstroke winners got here from that wing—Shelton felt “energetic” in his legs within the fifth set towards Wolf, even after driving the “many swings all through the match”.
“I am in a superb place, bodily, for the reason that final Slam I performed on the US Open the place I used to be actually struggling after 5 units within the warmth,” he mentioned. “I’ve labored actual onerous within the final 5-6 months to be the place I wish to be (bodily). I am nonetheless not there, however I am younger and have time. I could make it there.”
He might additionally effectively make it to the Australian Open semi-finals—he faces one other American, Tommy Paul—however he’s already relishing the “fairly particular week” in Melbourne. Again house, in the meantime, his faculty has begun. Time to name the professors to get out of that for this week? “It’s just some assignments right here and there—fairly simple stuff,” Shelton mentioned.