Ben Shelton has continued his promising Grand Slam career by reaching the third round of the Australian Open.
Shelton is the new ATP number seven and the eighth seed in Melbourne, where he has knocked out Ugo Humbert and Dane Sweeny.
The American defeated the former 6-3, 7-6(7-2), 7-6(7-5) in his opening match, before a more straightforward 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win against the latter.
Shelton now meets Australian Open 30th seed Valentin Vacherot, who stunned the ATP Tour by winning the Shanghai Masters in October.
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Ben Shelton matches Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam third round run
It’s certain to be another difficult challenge for the American, but he will be high in confidence after another win.
And it was more significant than many others given that he’s now matched a record of both Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.
The talented trio are the only players to reach the third round of the last 10 men’s singles Grand Slam tournaments.
Not even world number one Carlos Alcaraz has managed the feat, demonstrating just how impressive Shelton has been in recent Grand Slams.
Moreover, the Spaniard has won four of the last eight major titles, while 24-time champion Djokovic has more titles than any other man.
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Can Ben Shelton win the Australian Open?
Shelton’s fantastic run started back at the 2023 US Open, where he reached his first Grand Slam semifinal.
He also made it to that stage of the 2025 Australian Open, with his dream run finally ended by eventual champion Sinner.
But that venture should also give him plenty of confidence for this year’s tournament, where another lengthy run can be expected.
| Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open | |
| 2022 | – | – | – | 1st |
| 2023 | QF | 1st | 2nd | SF |
| 2024 | 3rd | 3rd | 4th | 3rd |
| 2025 | SF | 4th | QF | 3rd |
However, it certainly won’t be easier as the tournament progresses, particularly given that Sinner represents a potential quarterfinal opponent.
Defeating the two-time defending champion will be a mammoth task, but a maiden Grand Slam title is very much possible if he manages to overcome the formidable Italian.
Even then, however, a potential semifinal and final with Djokovic and Alcaraz respectively highlight just how brutal Shelton’s draw is this year.
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