Ben Shelton

Ben Shelton says he owes much of his success to his father after his remarkable run to the Australian Open quarter-finals.

“I think it’s definitely a good combination. Australian Open Stream the 2023 Australian Open live on [Radwanska: Swiatek must work on handling pressure](https://www.eurosport.com/tennis/australian-open/2023/iga-swiatek-must-work-on-how-to-handle-pressure-after-elena-rybakina-loss-says-agnieszka-radwanska_sto9347093/story.shtml) [McEnroe: Unpredictable Australian Open good for the game](https://www.eurosport.com/tennis/australian-open/2023/john-mcenroe-on-2023-australian-open-upsets-after-rafael-nadal-casper-ruud-iga-swiatek-and-ons-jabeu_sto9347119/story.shtml) Shelton is one of three American men in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open along with Sebastian Korda and Tommy Paul. Ben Shelton says he owes much of his success to his father after his remarkable run to the Australian Open quarter-finals.

Neither Shelton, 20, nor Rune, 19, had gone this deep at the Australian Open. Playing in fourth-round matches on different courts, only one advanced to the ...

“I have to look at the other side, that there’s a few things I could have done better, so when I’m playing the next Grand Slam this won’t happen again hopefully.” He rose with tears in his eyes to embrace the youngster whose time, one expects, will come given all the tools already at his disposal. And it looked like it would do the job again Monday when he served for the match at 5-3 in the fifth set against Rublev, the combustible shaggy-haired Russian who seems to throw his lean frame, and a percussive grunt, into each shot with every fiber of his being. But potential is one thing, converting it another, and it may not be easy for Rune to shake off such a defeat. But he kept it comparatively together this time, and he had time to recover because all the majors use a first-to-10-point final-set tiebreaker. On Rublev’s next match point at 10-9 he hit a backhand return off Rune’s second serve that smacked into the net cord. He made it into the tiebreaker, only to see Rune jump out to a 5-0 lead. Shelton, who won the 2022 Division I men’s singles championship at the University of Florida and then turned professional that August, has had a fine draw here, facing no opponents ranked in the top 50. “To play tennis in this event is what I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little kid, so I’m leaving it all out there.” They say you do better on your second try, and I think the way he coaches and explains the game to me and all the life experiences he’s given me, and my mom as well, are pretty much the sole reason I’m in the position I’m in.” Paul, already an established threat on the tour with victories over Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, advanced with a victory, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, over the No. Now Shelton will play in another all-American match against Tommy Paul, 25, in the first Grand Slam quarterfinal for both.

Americans Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul and Sebastian Korda have all booked a spot in the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time.

The left-handed Shelton comes equipped with a powerful serve that produced the fastest offering of the tournament so far, at 142 mph (228 kph) during his first-round victory, an instinct for defense and a competitive streak. 55 as a pro and now coaches the Florida men's team. [Djokovic moves on](https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/novak-djokovic-sails-into-australian-open-qf-downs-hometown-favorite/) to a matchup against No. Shelton, Paul and Korda are all in the final eight at a major for the first time. Not the case, of course, for Novak Djokovic, the 21-time Grand Slam champion who looked indomitable during a 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 win over No. three men in the quarterfinals in Melbourne for the first time since 2000.