Ben Shelton has enjoyed his brief Grand Slam career so far, with another lengthy Australian Open stay certain to be on his agenda.
Shelton knows how strong a server he is, with his ability in that particular area having helped him reach another third round in Melbourne.
The 22-year-old occupies 20th place in the ATP Tour rankings, but a rise can be expected with an extended run at the Australian Open.
Shelton loves the conditions in Australia, where he has overcome Brandon Nakashima and Pablo Carreno Busta in the first and second rounds respectively.
The 21st seed now takes on 16th seed Lorenzo Musetti, with Shelton’s best Melbourne finish coming in the 2023 quarter-finals on his tournament debut.
Brandon Nakashima wants Ben Shelton to win the Australian Open
He is now making just his third appearance at the Australian Open, having fallen at the third round stage in 2024.
And despite being knocked out by Shelton in round one this time around, fellow American Nakashima is desperate for his compatriot to go all the way.
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Sharing match footage from the Australian Open, Shelton wrote on Instagram: “We go again today,” with Nakashima commenting: “Win the tournament.”
What is Ben Shelton’s potential route to the Australian Open final?
Nakashima is among a handful of American men to have suffered early exits, with Frances Tiafoe, Sebastian Korda and Reilly Opelka on that list.
But Shelton will only be focused on his own progress at the Grand Slam, with 2024 Wimbledon semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti up next.
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His very tricky potential route to the Australian Open final would then likely continue against compatriot and 2024 US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz in round four.
That victor could face the likes of Fabian Marozsan after his win over Tiafoe, Lorenzo Sonego after his triumph over rising star Joao Fonseca, or even Learner Tien after his stunning defeat of Daniil Medvedev.
| Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open | |
| 2022 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1st |
| 2023 | QF | 1st | 2nd | SF |
| 2024 | 3rd | 3rd | 4th | 3rd |
Alex de Minaur, Holger Rune and the small matter of world number one Jannik Sinner are all then possible semi-final opponents for Shelton.
And ATP top 10 trio Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic are all potential final opponents.
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