Jannik Sinner continued his march towards the Australian Open title on Wednesday.
Making light work of his American opponent, Sinner defeated Ben Shelton in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Sinner outclassed Shelton for the majority of the match, except for a brief period at the end of the second set, where the Italian seemed to struggle with the heat again.
Who is going to win the men’s Australian Open title?
Sinner will now prepare to face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, as he looks to advance to his sixth consecutive Grand Slam final.
But there’s still time to reflect before then, and Sinner took a moment to predict what Shelton can achieve this year during his post-match press conference.
Jannik Sinner predicts that Ben Shelton will have a ‘great season’ in 2026
Despite beating Shelton again, Sinner believes the American is making progress.
“Yeah, honestly, he’s improving every time I play [him], because he’s serving better, changing a lot the serve, the backhand has improved, as we saw today. He’s trying to be very, very aggressive,” he said.
Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton – Match stats
| Player | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve | Break points |
| Jannik Sinner | 5 | 2 | 60% | 76% | 61% | 3/12 |
| Ben Shelton | 8 | 3 | 76% | 65% | 48% | 0/4 |
“There are times where he changes a bit more and then times where he changes a bit less, but it’s also how you feel on that day.
“You cannot just close your eyes and just go for it.”
Sinner is expecting big things from Shelton in 2026.
“I think we are going to see a great season for him this year,” he said.
“Now it’s also for him, you know, the experiences he made last year, it’s a big package also for him. He handles certain situations.
“You see, he changed a bit the mentality, and he’s very eager to improve as a player. He puts a lot of work in. He has a great team behind him.
“Yeah, I think he’s going to just improve, and he’s going to be every time more and more dangerous.”
Who is going to win the women’s Australian Open title?
Sinner will hope Shelton doesn’t improve too much, though, as he continues to enjoy success against the 23-year-old.
Jannik Sinner extends dominant head-to-head lead vs Ben Shelton
Sinner and Shelton have now played 10 matches on the ATP Tour.
| Match | Winner | Loser |
| 2026 Australian Open – QF | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton |
| 2025 ATP Finals – RR | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton |
| 2025 Paris Masters – QF | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton |
| 2025 Wimbledon – QF | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton |
| 2025 Australian Open – SF | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton |
| 2024 Shanghai Masters – R16 | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton |
| 2024 Wimbledon – 4R | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton |
| 2024 Indian Wells – R16 | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton |
| 2023 Vienna Open – R32 | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton |
| 2023 Shanghai Masters – R16 | Ben Shelton | Jannik Sinner |
After losing their first encounter in Shanghai, Sinner has won nine in a row against the American.
Only time will tell if Shelton can turn their head-to-head around…
What’s next for Ben Shelton?
Sinner expects big things from Shelton this year, but what’s next for the world number seven?
Well, he’s signed up for the Dallas Open, which begins on February 9.
Competing as the number-two seed, Shelton will fancy his chances of winning a second career ATP 500 title.
Top eight seeds at the 2026 Dallas Open
- [1] Taylor Fritz
- [2] Ben Shelton
- [3] Casper Ruud
- [4] Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
- [5] Flavio Cobolli
- [6] Tommy Paul
- [7] Learner Tien
- [8] Denis Shapovalov
Shelton lost to Spain’s Jaume Munar in the round of 16 at last year’s Dallas Open.
And, number-eight seed Denis Shapovalov won the title.
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