ATP Tour
Shelton reveals his vary, rallies previous Ruud to guide Sinner showdown at Australian Open
American wins 97 per cent of web factors in four-set comeback
January 26, 2026
Martin Maintain/Getty Photos
Ben Shelton is making his fourth consecutive look on the Australian Open.
By Jerome Coombe
Ben Shelton showcased the rising versatility of his recreation on Monday on the Australian Open, the place he rallied previous Casper Ruud to guide a return to the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
The 23-year-old American mixed resilient defence with bursts of explosive aggression to seal a gripping 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory after two hours, 36 minutes inside Rod Laver Enviornment. It marks Shelton’s third quarter-final look in simply 4 journeys to Melbourne Park, the place he superior to a gathering with two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner.
“For me, the ambiance is the whole lot,” stated Shelton. “I’m positively a competitor. I’m rowdy on the court docket and I stay up for rowdy crowds. Down right here in Australia, there’s no scarcity… From my first expertise, I fell in love with this event. It’s one in every of my favourites marked down on the calendar yearly.”
Quarter-Finals Sure! 👏@BenShelton takes out Ruud to advance right into a fifth profession Grand Slam quarter-final 💪#AO26 pic.twitter.com/Qp1kC6H4y3
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 26, 2026
Ruud had set the tone early with a dominant serving show within the opening set, however the Norwegian will rue expensive lapses on serve late in each the second and third units, moments that allowed Shelton to wrestle management of the competition.
As soon as in entrance, the eighth seed raised his stage, putting a sequence of eye-catching winners and ending factors on the web with authority. Shelton gained 97 per cent (29/30) of web factors in the course of the conflict, in response to Infosys Stats, and dropped simply three factors on serve within the fourth set as he closed out the match in commanding vogue.
“It’s what you stay up for most on this sport,” Shelton stated of his upcoming conflict with Sinner, who leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head sequence 8-1, together with victory of their semi-final assembly in Melbourne final yr. “It’s the place I wished to be. I wished to be again right here. I wished to offer myself one other shot, enhance on some issues I didn’t do as properly final yr and depart all of it out on the court docket.”
Ruud, who reached the fourth spherical on the Australian Open for the primary time since 2021, will now head residence to Norway, the place he and his spouse Maria expect a daughter.
