By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Photo credit: Jon Buckle/ROLEX
Demolition expert Ben Shelton is dispensing damage—with sheer speed and soft touch—at this Australian Open.
The left-handed Shelton scalded 19 aces against only two double faults firing past Aussie qualifier Dane Sweeny 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 on John Cain Arena.
The eighth-seeded Shelton streaked into his fourth AO third round in as many appearances.
One of the most imposing servers in the field won 38 of 43 first-serve points and surrendered just 11 points total on serve, improving his career record to 13-3 at Melbourne Park.
“I think Dane is a great competitor, a really tough guy to play,” Shelton said. “I think he’s electric. I think that it’s clear why the Aussie crowds love him, he’s a fan favorite. I’m sure he’s going to be lighting up John Cain for many years to come.
“This is a court that I’m experienced playing on. I’m experienced playing Aussies here. I’m sorry about the outcome today, but I love the chants, I love the noise, I love the passion guys have for the sport. So thanks for coming out today even if you wanted me to go down.”
It wasn’t just strong-arm tennis for Shelton, who has used his slice backhand to unsettling effect in sweeping all six sets he’s played.
That slice could be crucial in round three as Shelton takes on 30th-seeded Valentin Vacherot for a spot in the round of 16.
Last fall, Vacherot captured the imagination of tennis fans all over the world rising out of obscurity to win the ATP 1000 championship at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
Today, Vacherot zapped 15 aces defeating Aussie wild card Rinky Hijikata 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to become the third Monegasque player in history—man or woman—to reach a Grand Slam third round.
“I’m excited. I’m really happy to play him, because he played two years college, and we had his first year in common, so he was really young,” Vacherot said of Shelton. “He was 17 or 18 years old, but he was
already pretty impressive with his serve and everything.
“No, of course happy to play him for the first time. As I said, if I play him, it’s allowing myself to play some top-10 guys and see how I can do.”
The 23-year-old Shelton is working to apply his all-court acumen rather than just stepping up to the line and blowing opponents away with 140 mph service missiles.
Shelton is striving to shift spins and play more thoughtful tennis. So far, that tactic has worked well for the 2025 AO semifinalist.
