ATP Tour
Shelton shows his range, rallies past Ruud to book Sinner showdown at Australian Open
American wins 97 per cent of net points in four-set comeback
January 26, 2026
Martin Keep/Getty Images
Ben Shelton is making his fourth consecutive appearance at the Australian Open.
By Jerome Coombe
Ben Shelton showcased the growing versatility of his game on Monday at the Australian Open, where he rallied past Casper Ruud to book a return to the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
The 23-year-old American combined resilient defence with bursts of explosive aggression to seal a gripping 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory after two hours, 36 minutes inside Rod Laver Arena. It marks Shelton’s third quarter-final appearance in just four trips to Melbourne Park, where he advanced to a meeting with two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner.
“For me, the atmosphere is everything,” said Shelton. “I’m definitely a competitor. I’m rowdy on the court and I look forward to rowdy crowds. Down here in Australia, there’s no shortage… From my first experience, I fell in love with this tournament. It’s one of my favourites marked down on the calendar every year.”
Quarter-Finals Bound! 👏@BenShelton takes out Ruud to advance into a 5th career Grand Slam quarter-final 💪#AO26 pic.twitter.com/Qp1kC6H4y3
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 26, 2026
Ruud had set the tone early with a dominant serving display in the opening set, but the Norwegian will rue costly lapses on serve late in both the second and third sets, moments that allowed Shelton to wrestle control of the contest.
Once in front, the eighth seed raised his level, striking a series of eye-catching winners and finishing points at the net with authority. Shelton won 97 per cent (29/30) of net points during the clash, according to Infosys Stats, and dropped just three points on serve in the fourth set as he closed out the match in commanding fashion.
“It’s what you look forward to most in this sport,” Shelton said of his upcoming clash with Sinner, who leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 8-1, including victory in their semi-final meeting in Melbourne last year. “It’s where I wanted to be. I wanted to be back here. I wanted to give myself another shot, improve on some things I didn’t do as well last year and leave it all out on the court.”
Ruud, who reached the fourth round at the Australian Open for the first time since 2021, will now head home to Norway, where he and his wife Maria are expecting a daughter.
