Ben Shelton sets up Sinner showdown after rallying past Ruud at Australian Open

Ben Shelton will face off against Jannik Sinner in a blockbuster Quarter-Final clash at the 2026 Australian Open after he saw off Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a pulsating affair on Rod Laver Arena.

Shelton showed off exquisite defense as well as superb aggression to take down Ruud in two hours and 36 minutes. It marks Shelton's third Quarter-Final appearance in just four visits to the Australian Open.

Ruud was excellent in the opening set with a dominant serving display but the Norwegian had costly lapses of concentration losing his serve late in both the second and third sets which allowed Shelton to wrestle back a modicum of control.

Once in front, he raised his level with winners and points at the net being main parts of his repertoire. Shelton won 97% of net points during the tie and dropped just three points on serve in the fourth set as he commandingly sealed the win.

Albeit for Ruud with his wife Maria expecting their first daughter, it is very much family first over anything else as he will now fly home to be with her albeit thankfully for him without any early arrival.

Having deputised as the main attraction with Novak Djokovic not playing due to Jakub Mensik's injury, he thanked the crowd for not being too irate that it wasn't the Serbian legend on court.

"I think atmosphere is everything. So yeah, I want to thank you guys for staying out here so late tonight. I know you guys were probably looking forward to watching Novak tonight — I actually heard it from the stands — but I hope we didn’t disappoint with that match. So I really appreciate you guys staying late."

He also spoke about what differs for him in Australia given his excellence over the years at the event. "I mean, I think I’m definitely a competitor. I’m rowdy on the court, and I look forward to rowdy crowds. And down here in Australia, there’s no shortage of that. From my first experience here, playing on John Cain Arena, I fell in love with this tournament. Yeah, it’s one of my favourites. It’s marked off on the calendar every year.

"I think mentally, for sure. I’m a lot more focused, a lot more locked in to the type of player that I am — what my game style is, what I do well, and where my weaknesses are. I’m honest with myself, but I’m confident in my abilities. My confidence grows each and every year because of the work that we keep putting in, and that’s not going to stop."

He looked ahead to that Sinner meeting and said that he is looking forward to returning with that in mind. "Yeah, it’s what you look forward to most in this sport. It’s where I wanted to be. I wanted to be back here, I wanted to give myself another shot, and I wanted to improve on some things I didn’t do as well last year. I’m going to leave it all out on the court. Like I’ve said in earlier rounds, I’ve got a lot more I want to do here, and I’ve got a lot more to prove. So I hope you guys come back in two days’ time, because I’ll be ready to go."

He also was asked more light heartedly about who has the most swag on tour. "I think Carlos Alcaraz has a little bit of swag — you might’ve missed that one. Tommy Paul’s got the quiet swag. And from what I’m seeing so far from Learner Tien, he might be moving up that list real quick. There are definitely a lot of others I’ve missed, but I’ve got to put one girl in there for sure — 100 percent Coco Gauff. Coco’s got swag. She’s got swag."