Ben Shelton shows his range, gets past Casper Ruud and books the confrontation with Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open | ATP tour | Tennis

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Shelton shows his range, gets past Ruud and records a Sinner showdown at the Australian Open

American wins 97 percent of net points in a four-set comeback
January 26, 2026

Ben Shelton demonstrated the growing versatility of his game on Monday at the Australian Open, rallying past Casper Ruud to book a return to the quarter-finals in Melbourne.

The 23-year-old American combined resilient defense with bursts of explosive aggression to seal a gripping 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory after two hours and 36 minutes at Rod Laver Arena. It marks Shelton’s third quarter-final appearance in just four trips to Melbourne Park, where he advanced to a meeting with two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner.

“For me, the atmosphere is everything,” Shelton said. “I’m definitely a competitor. I’m loud on the court and I look forward to loud crowds. Here in Australia there’s no shortage… From my first experience I fell in love with this tournament. It’s one of my favorites on the calendar every year.”

Quarter finals announced! 👏@BenShelton eliminates Ruud to advance to the fifth Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career 💪#AO26 pic.twitter.com/Qp1kC6H4y3

— ATP tour (@atptour) January 26, 2026

Ruud had set the tone early with a dominant serve in the opening set, but the Norwegian will rue costly mistakes when serving late in both the second and third sets, moments when Shelton could lose control of the match.

Once in front, the eighth seed raised his level, scoring a series of striking winners and finishes at the net with authority. According to Infosys Stats, Shelton won 97 percent (29/30) of net points during the clash and dropped just three points on serve in the fourth set as he finished the match in impressive fashion.

“That’s what you look forward to most in this sport,” Shelton said of his upcoming clash with Sinner, who leads the Lexus ATP Head2Head series 8-1, including victory in their semi-final in Melbourne last year. “This is where I wanted to be. I wanted to be back here. I wanted to give myself another chance, improve on some of the things I didn’t do so well last year and leave everything on the field.”

Ruud, who reached the fourth round at the Australian Open for the first time since 2021, is now leaving for Norway, where he and his wife Maria are expecting a daughter.