Twenty-two-year-old American Ben Shelton is into the semifinals of the Australian Open, surviving Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4).
It is Shelton’s second time to reach the semifinals of a major, also reaching the US Open in 2023.
Shelton, a lefty, has a ferocious serve and forehand and a lot of confidence and hustle.
He is the only lefthander to reach the semifinals from the nineteen who began the men’s singles draw this year. Rafael Nadal, who won the title in 2009 and 2022, is the last lefthander to win the title.
In the first set, Shelton broke at 3-all, and in the second set, he got the break at 4-all. The American has great variety with his serve, mixing up his speeds and spins, and he often left Sonego befuddled on the return.
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At 5-4, though, Sonego played a brilliant game and broke at fifteen. It felt like the Italian was finding his form, and the crowd came alive.
Shelton got the break right back,…
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