Atlanta native Ben Shelton reaches Australian Open semifinals

MELBOURNE, Australia — Atlanta native Ben Shelton reached his second Grand Slam semifinal at age 22 by beating the unseeded Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4) on Wednesday.

Sonego produced the shot of the tournament — diving to his left for a volley with so much spin that the ball bounced on one side of the net, then floated back over to the other — but it was the American who ended up with the victory.

The left-handed Shelton did some entertaining of his own, including earning cheers by doing a couple of push-ups after tumbling in the concluding tiebreaker.

“I’m relieved,” said Shelton, who will meet No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy on Friday for a spot in the final. “Shout out Lorenzo Sonego because that was some ridiculous tennis.”

Sinner, the defending champion at Melbourne Park, completely overwhelmed the last Australian in the men’s bracket, No. 8 Alex de Minaur, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 at night.

Shelton, who is seeded 21st, closed the first set against Sonego with a 144 mph (232 kph) ace, tied for the fastest serve over the past 1 1/2 weeks, and flexed his left arm after smacking a powerful forehand to close a 22-stroke point and earn a break in the second. His father Bryan, a former tour pro who is Ben’s coach, grinned, too, while patting his own right biceps.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

A few points from the end, Shelton sprinted to get his racket on a seemingly unreachable ball, and fell into a courtside advertising board as Sonego hit an easy winner to take the point.

Shelton stayed on the ground for a bit, then earned applause for his effort — and post-fall calisthenics.

When Shelton closed things with a 26th forehand winner — he had zero via backhands — he flexed again and sneered until his expression morphed into a smile.

At his news conference, Shelton offered some unprompted comments critical of some of the people handling on-court post-match interviews.

Shelton followed his final answer at his news conference by saying: “One thing that I just want to say before we’re done: I’ve been a little bit shocked this week with how players have been treated by the broadcasters.”

He began by referencing the flap over a television commentator’s on-air insults about Novak Djokovic, which caused the 24-time Grand Slam champion to refuse to speak to the local broadcaster, Channel 9, after one match.

Djokovic eventually relented after receiving public apologies from the network and its employee, Tony Jones.

“I don’t think that was just a single event,” Shelton said. “I’ve noticed it with different people, not just myself.”

Shelton went on to mention the interview with 19-year-old American Learner Tien after his upset win over 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev ended at about 3 a.m. in the second round at Melbourne Park last week, calling it “embarrassing and disrespectful.”

That awkward exchange included a series of statements to Tien, rather than questions, including observations by the interviewer that “19-year-olds are not meant to be that good” and “I know where you live, by the way.”

Shelton also noted two of his own on-court TV interviews. After the 22-year-old’s win against 38-year-old French veteran Gael Monfils in the fourth round, interviewer Roger Rasheed, a former tennis coach, attempted to make a joke by saying, “He’s almost your Dad.”

Both Shelton and Monfils are Black. Shelton responded to Rasheed: “Was that a Black joke?” To which Rasheed replied, “I’m not sure.”

Then, after Shelton’s victory over Sonego, the interviewer said spectators likely would be cheering against Shelton in the semifinals.

Shelton answered: “I know I’ve got a few people out in the crowd who are going to be pulling for me, too.”

Shelton said that what the interviewer said 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.”

Credit: AP

As good as Shelton is with his serves and forehands, his improving return game is a significant part of what carried him to the final four at the Australian Open for the first time.

He did just enough in that department, accumulating 11 break points and converting three, against Sonego, an Italian ranked 55th. Shelton entered the match coming through on 52% of his break chances, the highest rate among the eight men’s quarterfinalists.

Shelton lost to Djokovic in the 2023 U.S. Open semifinals.

The other semifinal will be Djokovic vs. No. 2 Alexander Zverev. Djokovic continued his pursuit of an 11th Australian Open title, and unprecedented 25th major trophy, by overcoming a leg injury and Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a quarterfinal that began Tuesday night and ended at nearly 1 a.m. on Wednesday.

The crowd-pleasing factor was high for Shelton vs. Sonego, who never before had made it this far at a major.

Sonego went 67-for-90 on trips to the net, and his highlight-reel volley came at the outset of the second set. It was so remarkable that Shelton acknowledged the effort by offering a congratulatory handshake.

There was another terrific shot by Sonego in the fourth set, when he raced with his back to the net and spun to hit a hook shot of sorts that resulted in a winner.

It’s Shelton, though, who will get to keep playing in Melbourne this year._