Ben Shelton says what he is ‘better’ at when playing Jannik Sinner than other players on the ATP Tour

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Ben Shelton was competing in his second career Grand Slam semi-final at the 2025 Australian Open.

A dream tournament came to an end for Shelton at the semi-final stage, as he lost in straight sets to the world number one.

Sinner was just too good on Friday, as the Italian saved set points in the first before he eased his way into the final with a 7-6, 6-2, 6-2 win.

Shelton had beaten Lorenzo Sonego in the quarter-finals, and Gael Monfils in the last 16, as he proved himself against more experienced opposition.

The American ATP star will rise to 14th in the world rankings following his impressive showing in Melbourne, just one spot away from his career-high.

His Australian Open semi-final defeat was tough to take, although the 22-year-old is trying to look at the result positively.

Ben Shelton says what he doesn’t mind doing against Jannik Sinner that other players struggle with

During his post-match press conference, Shelton analysed the match-up with Sinner.

“I didn’t execute perfectly today, but one of the good things about this matchup is that… I heard Andy Roddick talking about it, but the ball that he hits, he hits a massive ball obviously, but it’s heavy,” said Shelton.

“It has height over the net, it has shape, it’s big, but it also bounces up.

“For me, I’m a tall guy, I’m a better high-zone hitter, a lot of people do struggle with that ball that’s a little higher in the zone coming fast.

“I don’t mind it, I don’t mind smacking a forehand off my back foot or hitting the backhand at shoulder height.”

The American continued to explain how he matches up against the world number one.

“Other guys who have the shovel backhand that stays real low to the ground, it’s a different ball,” he said.

“For me, sometimes tougher to deal with.

“I don’t think many people would probably argue that Jannik [Sinner] is striking the ball the best in the world right now, somehow that’s very difficult to deal with.

“You get a good rhythm. He is hitting it clean off both sides, hitting it deep, there’s a lot of pace on a lot of balls.”

Shelton went on to say that the matchup brings out the best in him, and that he knows where he went wrong in Melbourne.

“Yeah, for me I feel like I can bring out some of my best tennis at times,” he said.

“If I can cut out a few of those drops in level that I had, serve a little bit better, obviously close out that one game I didn’t close out, then we see where we are.

“It’s motivating for me, I’m going to continue to work hard and build.

“I can’t take this as a huge negative, right? Not many people have beat him in the last year.”

The American then remembered his lone career win over Sinner, as he looked forward to their next encounter.

“I think since I beat him in Shanghai in 2023, maybe he’s lost like six times,” he said.

“I’m going to continue focusing on myself every day, trying to improve, and hopefully I can next time that we match up at a Slam give the fans a longer match to watch.”

Shelton wasn’t far off with his numbers, as Sinner has indeed been imperious since his defeat to the 22-year-old in Shanghai two years ago, going 92-7 since.

Ben Shelton makes big step towards the ATP top-ten with Australian Open run

With his run to the last four in Melbourne, Shelton took a huge step towards reaching the top-ten for the first time in his career.

When the rankings are released on Monday, the 22-year-old will be 14th, just 150 points away from the top ten.

Things are extremely tight on the outskirts of the top ten, as just 150 points separate four players from Andrey Rublev.

The Russian will be looking to build the gap back up next week, having accepted a Wild Card to the Montpellier ATP 250 event.

Shelton, however, will have his sights firmly set on Dallas, an ATP 500 event for the first time in 2025, which he will enter as a top-five seed.

• [1] – Taylor Fritz
• [2] – Casper Ruud
• [3] – Tommy Paul
• [4] – Frances Tiafoe
• [5] – Ben Shelton
• [6] – Tomas Machac
• [7] – Brandon Nakashima
• [8] – Matteo Arnaldi

A big result for the American could well see him burst into the top ten for the first time in his young career.

Shelton will return to the court for the Dallas Open, which begins on February 1.