Ben Shelton suggests why he really struggles to find practice partners as nobody wants to train with him

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Ben Shelton has stormed into the third round of the Australian Open, despite the American struggling to find practice partners.

Coached by his father and former player Bryan Shelton, ATP number 20 Shelton wants to improve his serve accuracy.

But such development has been hard to come by for Shelton, who is now preparing for an Australian Open clash with Lorenzo Musetti.

Shelton loves the Australian Open conditions, with the American really enjoying his time in Melbourne thus far.

He beat compatriot Brandon Nakashima in straight sets in round one, before knocking out Pablo Carreno Busta in the second round.

Ben Shelton ‘can’t get a practice’ due to being left-handed

But the 21st seed faces his toughest test on paper yet in 16th seed Musetti, who has made it past Matteo Arnaldi and Denis Shapovalov.

However, Shelton also faces an entirely different battle, having been asked in his latest press conference about the advantages and disadvantages of being a left-handed player.

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“You can’t get a practice,” he replied. “It’s impossible, except for when the draw comes out and they play [Jack] Draper, Shapo (Shapovalov), or Ugo Humbert. Then I get the look.

“Other than that, people don’t want to practice with you as much. For me I don’t mind. I hit with a righty, lefty, tall guy, short guy, serve bot, grinder. Doesn’t really matter.

“Guys on tour, players or coaches, are particular about who they practice with. Big serve, lefty, that’s two strikes against you. Finding hits can be difficult.

“I’d say at the same time people don’t want to hit with lefties so they don’t see your style of game as much.

“I go out and play against somebody that said no to practising with me the last four times, at least he hasn’t seen my serve. Pros and cons, for sure.”

Ben Shelton among American trio shining at Australian Open

Shelton is by no means the only American man impressing in Melbourne, although that is not to say there haven’t been shocks for the nation’s leading players.

Frances Tiafoe, the 17th seed at the Grand Slam, has just fallen to Fabian Marozsan in round two, with 22nd seed Sebastian Korda losing to Aleksandar Vukic at the same stage.

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But the higher-ranked Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul are both safely into round three, having been seeded fourth and 12th respectively.

Asked if having the promising displays of his compatriots takes pressure off his shoulders, and indeed if he keeps track of their results, Shelton responded: “No, I wouldn’t say it takes pressure off.

“Everyone’s playing for themselves here. I think there’s a healthy competition between us. I obviously love to see those guys do well.

“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun to be in this era of American tennis. Most likely after this tournament, we’ll have at least two guys in the top 10. There’s a lot more coming, so…

“For me, I don’t really watch anyone else closely during the tournament. I’ll check the scores, watch highlights from my friends’ matches every once in a while. I’m more or less just focused on myself.”

The ATP Tour live rankings certainly look promising for American men, with Fritz fourth and Paul ninth, while Tiafoe and Shelton are 17th and 20th respectively.