ATP Tour
Shelton on Sinner loss: ‘I’m trying to put all the pieces together’
American has lost all four major meetings against Sinner
January 28, 2026
Phil Walter/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner defeats Ben Shelton in straight sets in Melbourne on Wednesday.
By Sam Jacot
Ben Shelton may have been stopped at a major for the fourth time by Jannik Sinner, but the American left Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday with plenty to be encouraged by after another deep Grand Slam run.
The eighth seed dropped just one set en route to his fifth major quarter-final before running into the Italian once again, with Sinner extending his dominance in the rivalry to a 9-1 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
“I think my level is better, and I’m getting better and better and becoming a lot less limited,” Shelton said when analysing his progress. “I think this game takes time, and the results don’t always come when you want them. I’m getting to the point now where I’m getting stopped by the toughest challenge in the game for the most part, and I do think that I’m close to bringing it all together.
“I think it’s just going to take that one time where I do it to kind of get me over the hump. It’s always been that way for me. Certainly not discouraged from a performance like this, but I want to see myself get out in front and see what I can do from there in a match rather than falling behind just because I know how I feel when I get out in front at slams. I feel like I’m untouchable. I guarantee the other guys at the top feel the exact same.
“It’s a matter of time and work just trying to put all the pieces together, because I’m not complete yet, but I feel myself becoming more complete.”
Shelton reached his first major quarter-final at the Australian Open in 2023. The 23-year-old has since won three tour-level titles, including his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Toronto, and cracked the Top 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
At Slams, Shelton has often delivered, highlighted by semi-finals at the US Open (2023) and Australian Open (2025). It is under those conditions, he admits, that his competitive instincts are strongest.
“I’m an addict. I’ve become more and more addicted to this game and figuring things out, chasing the guys who are ahead of me,” Shelton said. “It’s feeling the pressure that you feel on the court at a Grand Slam, there’s no better feeling… That’s what drives me every day, and I just feel like the drive getting stronger and stronger each year.”
Shelton caused two-time defending champion Sinner problems at times with his destructive first serve and bruising forehands, yet was unable to capitalise in the key moments in his 3-6, 4-6, 4-6 loss.
“I think I had two second-serve looks on break points today, and I think I missed both of them, or maybe one of them I hit weak and he spread me quickly,” Shelton said reflecting on the match.
“I think that with other guys, I can get away with putting in the court and either being at neutral or having to scramble a little bit at the first ball and then getting back to neutral or getting on offense. I was doing a really good job of that. But with a guy who has the plus-one ability that he has off of both sides, I needed to be a lot better and have more purpose with my second-serve return, which I thought that he had against me. He was able to put me in uncomfortable positions and get to offense a good amount of times on my second serve and make me think about which serves I was using.”
