"I definitely exceeded my expectations this week" - Ben Shelton has positive outlook on season after dream Australian Open run

Upcoming American tennis star Ben Shelton was in no mood to be downcast after falling to Tommy Paul Wednesday in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open.

Having reached the last eight in just his second Grand Slam appearance, the #NextGenATP American reflected happily on his performances at Melbourne Park this fortnight — as well as the valuable lessons learned from his stellar run.

“I think it was a great experience,” said Shelton after Paul prevailed 7-6(6), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in an all-American quarter-final clash. “It was fun to be out there, my first quarter-final of a Grand Slam.

“I thought I played alright. Some things that I could do better, things that I would maybe do next time if I could do differently, but I'm pleased with the result, this being my first time at the Australian Open. So, [I’m] taking a lot of positives away from it.”

This fortnight, Shelton defeated Zhang Zhizhen, Nicolas Jarry, Alexei Popyrin and J.J. Wolf in a dream Melbourne Park debut. The 20-year-old, who a year ago was ranked No. 569 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and still a University of Florida college player, had never left the United States prior to this trip to Australia. That made it a journey of discovery for the American both on and off the court.

“The crowds have been pretty unbelievable,” said Shelton. “They supported me. I definitely didn't expect it coming into this tournament, being an American. They kind of treated me like one of their own. It was really fun to be able to play with the support behind me during my matches. [I had] a lot of smiles about that.

“I definitely exceeded my expectations this week, what I thought I could do on the court — not just tennis-wise but physically being able to get through as many three-out-of-five-set matches as I did. I mean, I've only played one before in my career. I was pretty pleased with myself in that aspect as well.”

The novel experiences will keep coming for Shelton in the 2023 season. Now up to No. 43 in the ATP Rankings, he will likely have the opportunity to compete in the ATP Tour’s European clay-court and grass-court seasons for the first time.