Ben Shelton To Face Jannik Sinner in Quarterfinals
Former Florida star Ben Shelton, and No. 8 seed in the Australian Open, defeated No. 12 seed Casper Ruud in 4 sets (3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4) to advance to his third quarterfinal in four years. Shelton put on a show in Rod Laver Arena, serving up 14 aces, including one at nearly 142 mph.
He will now face world No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who eliminated Shelton in the Australian Open Semifinals last year in straight sets. Shelton has been impressive so far this tournament, but he has to elevate his game if he wants to beat Sinner.
“I have a lot more that I want to do here and a lot more to prove,” he said earlier today after his match.
How He Got Here
Shelton entered the tournament with one of the toughest draws, facing a former world No. 13 player in the first round in the Frenchman Ugo Humbert. However, he defeated him in straight sets 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5). He hit 43 winners and only 26 unforced errors. In the second round, he dismantled Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. In this match, he had 19 aces, 38 winners and 17 unforced errors.
In the third round, he faced the No. 30 seed Valentin Vacherot from Poland. Shelton defeats him in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (5). He served 15 aces, hit 48 winners and only 27 unforced errors.
In the round of 16, he faced world No. 13 and the No. 12 seed Ruud, a three-time Grand Slam finalist. To go along with his 14 aces, he hit 55 winners to 45 unforced errors, another match with at least 10 more winners than unforced errors. Now, he’ll face Sinner, the world No. 2 and two-time defending champion in Australia, for a spot in the semifinals on Jan. 27 or Jan. 28. Last year, these two met in the semifinals. However, Sinner defeated Shelton in straight sets 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2. Shelton had only 7 aces and hit 27 winners to 55 unforced errors, which was the difference of the match.
How He Defeats Sinner
For Shelton to have a winning chance, his forehand has to be the same against Sinner. In his last few matches against Sinner, his forehand has been inconsistent, putting all the pressure on his serve. So, having a consistent forehand is key to staying in the match.
“I’ve never hit my forehand this good,” Shelton said after his win against Ruud. “I feel like I’m hitting it bigger than I’ve ever hit it.”
Sinner is one of, if not the, best returner in the world, so Shelton’s serve has to be big. But the former Gator has found success in this area. He has the second most aces in the tournament with 63, only behind fellow American Taylor Fritz. He has been hitting around 67% of his first serves in this tournament, but last year against Sinner, he hit only 59%, which is below average. It has to be near 70% to neutralize Sinner’s ability to change the point off the return.
Finally, Shelton has to use the conditions to his advantage. Sinner tends to get arm cramps when in extreme heat, and in his third-round match, Sinner was struggling against unranked American Eliot Spizzirri.
Sinner was down a break in the third set with the match tied at one set all, until the roof closed due to the extreme heat. Sinner still won in four sets, however. Shelton’s experience in Florida weather serves him well in Australia, and if that match is during the day or early evening, he should have the advantage physically.
Should the game be played at night, Shelton will have to quickly adjust. He has struggled in night games to adjust to a fluffier and heavier ball at night.
“I had a completely different feeling of the ball coming off the racquet,” he said. “Certainly different conditions playing at night. I’m glad that I have that match under my belt now, because I was able to find a good rhythm.”
Category: Gators Tennis, Tennis, Uncategorized
