“How do you have 65 winners and 80 unforced errors?”: Ben Shelton mocks Emilio Nava after Australian Open loss

Ben Shelton shared a funny video on social media mocking his compatriot Emilio Nava following his defeat to Cameron Norrie in the second round of the Australian Open.

Nava, currently ranked world No. 89, was making his debut in the Australian Open main draw. He came through the first round after a five-set battle against Kyrian Jacquet (6-2, 7-5, 6-7, 4-6, 7-6) and then faced 26th seed Cameron Norrie in the second round.

In a match that lasted three hours and 20 minutes, Norrie claimed the win 6-1, 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5) to advance to the Round of 32, where he will face third seed Alexander Zverev. The match was marked by the American’s mistakes, as Nava committed a total of 80 unforced errors compared to 42 from his opponent, while also hitting 65 winners — against just 19 for Norrie.

Those statistics were precisely what triggered Shelton’s laughter, as he shared a mocking video about Nava and his defeat on social media. “How do you have 65 winners and 80 unforced errors in a four-set match?” Shelton said while poking fun at his fellow American in a video shared on his Instagram stories.

Nava finished the match with 19 aces and five double faults, broke serve three times and dropped his own serve on four occasions. Despite the loss, the 24-year-old secured a rise in the rankings to a new career-high of world No. 82.

Meanwhile, Shelton has enjoyed a strong run at the Australian Open, defeating Ugo Humbert in the first round (6-3, 7-6, 7-6) before cruising past local wild card Dane Sweeny (6-3, 6-2, 6-2). Yet to drop a set, Shelton is preparing to contest the third round in Melbourne for the fourth consecutive year, holding an impressive 13–3 record (81%) at the Australian Open.

The 24-year-old American will face 30th seed Valentin Vacherot in the third round — the surprise champion of last year’s Shanghai Masters — who has shown consistency in just his second career appearance in a Grand Slam main draw.

Asked in his press conference whether Vacherot’s rapid rise on tour surprised him, Shelton responded: “Yeah, I think it just shows that, you know, the game of tennis is very mental, and the level difference between guys who are playing challengers to the top of the world, it’s not massive.”

“I played him in one of the early challengers I played, and we had an absolute war. I think I beat him 5 or 6 in the third. Even since he was in college, he’s always been a problem,” added the world No. 7. “I’m not shocked to see him, you know, in the top 100 and having great results on the tour. I think that he has a lot of weapons. I think he’s great physically. I think he’s a tough competitor. Yeah, I think it’s a great third-round matchup.”

Shelton will return to the court on Saturday seeking a place in the fourth round. The American is defending the semifinals he reached in 2025 and risks a drop in the rankings if he fails to produce a strong result in Melbourne.