Ben Shelton has continued his superb run at the Australian Open, although his latest win has come at the expense of his idol Gael Monfils.
Shelton finds it difficult to get practice partners, but the left-hander has shown very few signs of struggle at the Australian Open thus far.
Two-time ATP Tour champion Shelton was leading Monfils 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 1-0 in their fourth round match before the latter retired with a back injury.
Taylor Fritz said Monfils would be tough for anyone to beat after their third round match, where the Frenchman shocked the world number four.
The 38-year-old beat the 2024 US Open runner-up in an entertaining four-set battle, having overcome Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in five sets in round one.
Australian Crowd give Ben Shelton ‘goosebumps’ despite cheering against him
Monfils needed just three sets meanwhile to beat Daniel Altmaier in the second round, but his dream run at the Grand Slam has now sadly been brought to an end by injury.
The Frenchman spoke fondly of Shelton despite the defeat at Margaret Court Arena, saying it was difficult to play against an opponent that he liked so much.
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And the American has now responded in kind, having been asked in his post-match press conference if it was also difficult for him.
“Yeah, it’s always tough,” said Shelton. “The little kid in me always wants to see Gael win. I always want to see him hit the highlight shot and trick shot.
“It’s like players always get mad when the crowd is against them or not for them, but honestly, all I could do today was appreciate the fans getting behind him. It was just a cool moment for me to be a part of.
“Obviously they were cheering against me, pretty much the whole stadium, but it’s kind of the stuff that gives you goosebumps, the stuff that you live for.”
Ben Shelton labels Gael Monfils ‘so impressive’ after their Australian Open match
Monfils entered the fourth round clash on an eight-match winning streak, which helped him lift the ASB Classic trophy in Auckland earlier this month.
That title will have also given the veteran great confidence for Melbourne, which he used from day one to superbly overcome rising star Mpetshi Perricard.
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And even though he is winding down his career, the 38-year-old has more than proven that he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level.
Shelton’s heavy praise for the legend also came to the fore right after their match, when he said in his on-court interview: “Obviously he’s played a lot of long matches, so I wanted to make it as physical as possible.
“There’s a lot of things he does unbelievably well, counter-punching, making you feel uncomfortable on the court, getting to the net. So, being able to find that balance was tricky because he was serving so well.
“Gael is someone I have watched since a little kid, I always say he has the greatest highlight tape of all time, and you saw some of that tonight.
“At 38 years old, I hope I am still walking without crutches… To push me the way he did today and entertain everyone in New Zealand and Australia in the way he has the last couple of weeks is so impressive.
“I hope to be able to create some memories like that with my family watching on at that age, because it’s really, really special and unheard of in any other sport.”
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