Ben Shelton continued his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title after defeating Casper Ruud in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
The American came back from a set down to triumph 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, and set up a quarterfinal clash with Jannik Sinner.
Shelton is one of two US men left in the draw at Melbourne Park, with 20-year-old Learner Tien also still remaining.
Following his victory over Ruud, Shelton has now joined the world’s two best players, Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, in an exclusive club.
Ben Shelton achieves impressive feat at the Australian Open
Shelton is now through to the fifth Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career, becoming one of three players born in the 2000s to hit the milestone, according to Mario Boccardi on X.
Only Sinner and Alcaraz have reached more quarterfinals than the US star, with the ‘new two’ having made the last eight at majors 14 times each.
Shelton advanced to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2023 Australian Open, and made the semifinals of the US Open later that season.
In 2025 he achieved another semifinal finish at the Australian Open and enjoyed his best run at the Wimbledon championships by making the quarterfinals.
Ben Shelton says he feels ‘confident’ in his net play in Melbourne
Shelton put on an impressive serve-and-volley performance against Ruud, conceding just one net point throughout four sets.
In his post-match press conference, he said: “I think I made a lot of plays today and executed a lot of errors. Volleys I would have missed a while back.
“But I feel confident in my net play right now. I think I’m making great decisions, so I don’t have to overplay.
“I think I’m coming in on the right serves, on the right shots, choosing my moments correctly, and I think that’s why I’m winning a lot of points. I’m able to get close to the net.
“I’m able to exploit, you know, when my opponent is pretty far off the baseline and use the drop volley when I need to. I just thought my decision-making up there was really clean today.”
Shelton is on an eight-match losing streak against his next opponent, Sinner, with his last win over the Italian coming at the 2023 Shanghai Masters.
