Ben Shelton eyes a major upset against Jannik Sinner in his first-ever Australian Open semifinals.
According to AAP, the American tennis player is all set to face the world's no. 1 tennis star in his debut Australian Open semifinals on Friday, January 24, 2025.
Ahead of the face-off with the two-time Grand Slam winner, he accepted that it would be a tough match but the best opportunity to show his skills.
Shelton said, “Obviously, Jannik, defending champion. We know what he's done. A really tough match-up. I'm really looking forward to it. Any time you get to line up against the best in the world is a great opportunity to improve your game and see where you're at, and that's what Friday will be for me."
The 22-year-old, while talking about the US Open 2023 semifinals, revealed that during the past years, he has elevated to a point where he no longer feels that he needs to take big risks for big matches.
“Lately, especially in the matches here, everything hasn't been perfect. I had one good serving day out of my five matches. I've had to pick up the slack with everything else in my game. I think I'm a much better returner right now than in the past. I'm winning in different ways, for sure," he added.
The 20-seeded player aims to “figure out ways” to make his opponent “uncomfortable” without playing at his upper limits and slapping.
Furthermore, Sinner and Shelton have so far played five matches against each other, and the Atlanta native has won only one match against the Italian player at the 2023 Shanghai Masters.
