When Taylor Fritz reached the final of the US Open four months ago, he became the first American man to play in a grand slam singles final since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009. Finally, tennis fans in the United States had a reason to believe that the era of American men’s tennis futility was fading. And now, with Ben Shelton on the edge of a possible finals appearance at the Australian Open, it appears that, indeed, a group of American men’s players are set to make their mark (US women, it hardly needs to be said, have had no such problems making an impact at majors). If Shelton were to make the final it would be the first time since the 2005 Wimbledon (Roddick) and 2005 US Open (Andre Agassi) that American men have appeared in back-to-back grand slam finals.
This Australian Open has showcased the sudden depth and promise of a host of young Americans, including 19-year-old Learner Tien who defeated Daniil Medvedev on his way to the quarter-finals, and Alex Michelsen, 20, who also reached the fourth round after knocking off two top-20 seeds. They, along with veterans Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, comprise a coterie of American men’s players who are morphing into a cohesive, friendly group that are pushing each other to new heights.
Of course, for Shelton to reach Sunday’s final, there is that nagging detail, that one small matter, of having to overcome the ultimate challenge in present-day tennis – beating Jannik Sinner on a hard court. The overpowering, world No 1 has shown no signs of vulnerability so far in Melbourne this year, and it will take a high-risk, highly focused performance from the southpaw Shelton to pull off the upset. The pair have played five times, with Shelton winning their first encounter but Sinner has won the last four meetings and has taken nine straight sets off Shelton.
It’s instructive to remember that Shelton is still only two years removed from his breakout rookie season in 2023, the year in which he reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne as well as the semi-finals in New York. Though he had something of a sophomore slump in 2024, Shelton is continually retooling his game and he has looked in fine form through his first five matches, navigating a relatively tough draw. For the 22-year-old to have a shot at knocking off Sinner, he’ll have to avoid the tactical and strategic mistakes that befell his good friend and countryman Fritz when he lost to Sinner in the US Open final. Attempting to outhit Sinner from the backcourt – which Fritz tried in New York – will undoubtedly end in frustration and defeat.
In addition to being able to routinely blast 140 mph serves and strike vicious groundstroke winners from the baseline, Shelton has a very strong transition game and has become a superb volleyer. It is this skill set that he will have to execute to near perfection in order to beat Sinner. This is one area where Shelton has the edge over Sinner and he will need to take advantage of every short ball and take control of the forecourt. Further, Shelton would be wise to draw Sinner into the net, and not allow Sinner to utilize his brilliant lateral movement. And, on top of that, he will have to maintain a high level of consistency. Because he is so adept as a shotmaker, Shelton can sometimes fall prey to unwise decision-making. It will be a very fine line to traverse, between playing aggressively but not recklessly. Easier said than done.
Further, Shelton will need to vary his tremendous serving game. Because he has that built-in lefty advantage, look for Shelton, in between bombing aces, to throw in some short, soft serves, especially in the ad court, to throw off Sinner’s rhythm and pull the Italian off the court. Sinner is a classic rhythm player and feeds off pace and repetition. It will be imperative for Shelton to play as tactically diverse a match as possible.
It will be interesting to see if the crowd will be a factor at all. Sinner – who is not uncomfortable playing the role of villain, as he did when beating Fritz in New York – defused the rowdy Australian partisans in his utterly dominant performance over home favorite Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals, yielding a total of just six games.
Speaking of the fans, the announcer who spoke with Shelton on court after his quarter-final triumph over Lorenzo Sonego, said spectators would probably not be on Shelton’s side in the semi-finals. Shelton replied:, “I know I’ve got a few people out in the crowd who are going to be pulling for me, too.” At his news conference after the match, Shelton said the interviewer’s opinion about the fans’ support, “may be true, but I just don’t think the comment is respectful from a guy I’ve never met before in my life.”
Shelton closed by saying: “I feel like broadcasters should be helping us grow our sport and help these athletes who just won matches on the biggest stage enjoy one of their biggest moments. I feel like there’s just been a lot of negativity. I think that’s something that needs to change.
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Shelton’s articulate and pointed comments about the press show his willingness to speak his mind and add to the odd narrative that’s running through the event, that of the antagonistic relationship between the Australian media and many of the players, most notably the rift between Novak Djokovic and Channel 9.
But on Friday night in Melbourne (late Thursday night in the US), Shelton will be looking to have his racket speak eloquently in hopes of dethroning the defending champion and establish himself as the most threatening of America’s new generation of male players.
