Ben Shelton secured his second consecutive Australian Open quarter-final berth after French veteran Gael Monfils retired due to a back injury in a dramatic fourth-round clash, with Shelton leading 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 1-0.
At just 22, Shelton demonstrated poise and power against the ever-entertaining Gael Monfils in Melbourne. The American capitalized on his explosive game and relentless energy, delivering 51 winners over nearly three hours of play. Meanwhile, Monfils, battling through an eight-match win streak, saw his brilliant resurgence come to a halt as physical struggles hindered his trademark agility.
“Obviously, he’s played a lot of long matches, so I wanted to make it as physical as possible,” Shelton admitted post-match. Reflecting on Monfils’ illustrious career, he added, “Gael has the greatest highlight tape of all time. At 38, to push me the way he did is so impressive.”
Monfils, who became the oldest ATP title winner since 1977 with his triumph in Auckland earlier this month, initially kept Shelton off balance with a mix of pace and precision. He excelled at the net, winning an impressive 89% of points in the forecourt, but his limited mobility in the third set forced him to stay baseline, allowing Shelton to dictate play with searing forehands.
Shelton now faces Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, who defeated American qualifier Learner Tien earlier. A win could propel Shelton to a career-high No. 13 in the ATP rankings, underlining his rapid rise.
