AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Eighth-ranked Ben Shelton was eliminated from the ATP 250 tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, on Friday in a quarterfinal split over two days due to rain.
Top-seeded Shelton lost 7-5, 6-3 to unseeded Sebastian Baez of Argentina, ranked 39th.
Shelton led 1-0 in the second set on Thursday night when heavy rain caused the match to be suspended. When the match resumed on Friday, Baez served to level the match before breaking the American to lead 2-1.
Baez defeated American Marcos Giron 6-1, 6-4 in a semifinal later Friday. Due to rain disruptions, three quarter-finals and both semi-finals were played on the same day.
Baez will play third-seeded Jakub Mensik, who reached the final on Saturday when he defeated Fabian Marozsan 7-6 (9), 4-6, 6-1. Marozsan had defeated defending champion Gael Monfils in the first round and second seed Casper Ruud in the second.
This is certainly good preparation for Australia,” said Baez. “In that case, I’m happy to be able to play both games today.”
The 23-year-old Shelton, the top-ranked American on tour ahead of No. 9 Taylor Fritz, now heads to the Australian Open, where he will play France’s Ugo Humbert in the first round.
At a news conference in Auckland, Shelton said he believes there are young players who can bridge the gap with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have won the past eight Grand Slam titles between them.
He hopes to be one of them.
“They have certainly been ahead of the curve over the last few years,” Shelton said. “But in my eyes there are definitely guys who can come there and take on a challenge, young guys who are playing great, better and better every year.”
Alcaraz is 22 and Sinner 24.
“It’s not normal to do what Alcaraz and Sinner are doing at such a young age, but there are so many young guys who haven’t fully developed yet or we haven’t seen their best tennis yet,” Shelton said.
Shelton said the 2025 season was “a great stepping stone for me… there are so many things I improved in 2025 over 2024.”
“And for me, it’s not just about the results. It’s more about what I encounter in my playing, the things I discover,” Shelton added. “So there’s a lot we can build on this year.”
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