Ben Shelton moves into Australian Open Quarter-Finals after unfortunate retirement for Gael Monfils
ATP
In a battle of the tennis showmen, it certainly delivered while it lasted but for Gael Monfils, it was a bridge too far as he retired soon after the third set at the Australian Open after three tie-breaks in a row saw Ben Shelton lead and conclude it at 2-1 up.
Shelton was up 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 1-0 against Monfils before the 38-year-old who still continues to marvel despite his age and perhaps is overlooked for his sheer longevity in the sport alongside Grand Slam winners in Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka who perhaps are the only other two examples of players continuing to dazzle well into their late 30's.
But Shelton is a player who has seen the impact of Monfils first hand as he has previously said that Monfils is one of his favourite players and is a showman like the great Frenchman.
Wife Elina Svitolina was watching on after she forged her own path one further than her husband after seeing off Veronika Kudermetova earlier today. But it wasn't to be for Monfils as Shelton now like Svitolina does in the women's draw against Madison Keys has a big chance as he takes on Lorenzo Sonego for a spot in the Australian Open semi-finals.
It is the second Quarter-Final in three years for Shelton who shows that he is still firmly on the rise. At times over the past year, he has been up and down. He reached American No.1 in an era where Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul priorly dominated and do again now but it did not mirror his 2023 where he reached a major semi-final and the top 15.
Now though sitting World No.20 prior to the tournament started he has a chance to make further inroads back towards that spot and also reach a second Grand Slam semi-final. For Monfils, he leaves with his head held high after a great tournament and despite defeat is still showing why he is must watch even late into his 30's.
Ben Shelton into the QFs of the #AusOpen for the 2nd time in three years as Gael Monfils retires at the start of the 4th set.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 20, 2025
Fantastic sportsmanship in the end. Gael is one of Ben's favorite players.
What a start of the year for Monfils. Incredible what he can still do at 38yo pic.twitter.com/tB17g1EZk3
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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