Match Report
Who’s your daddy? Not Musetti, says Shelton after clutch AO win
American reaches R4 in Melbourne for second time
January 18, 2025
Hannah Peters/Getty Images
Ben Shelton reaches the fourth round at the Australian Open for a second time in his career.
By ATP Staff
Ben Shelton came up clutch when it mattered most Saturday at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old American overcame 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) in an absorbing clash to advance to the fourth round in Melbourne for the second time in his career. Shelton let slip a break lead in the fourth set but held his nerve in the tie-break to notch his first victory over the Italian in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, which Musetti leads 2-1.
-“This has been my lucky court,” Shelton said of John Cain Arena in his on-court interview. “I think it’s because it’s open to the public and everybody gets a little rowdy when the sun goes down. I always want to play here, I had a lot of big wins on this court.
“It’s never straightforward against Musetti. He’s definitely one of the most talented guys on Tour, one of the three shot-makers on Tour. He does some unbelievable things. I was 0-2 against him today. We say on Tour if someone beats you three times in a row, they’re your daddy, so I was fighting to not let that happen.”
Shelton, who reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne on debut in 2023, has set up a fourth-round meeting with Gael Monfils. The 38-year-old, who is now on an eight-match win streak, earlier stunned World No. 4 Taylor Fritz.
Musetti used the slice to full effect from both wings for large parts of Saturday’s high-octane third-round clash. This was particularly evident when countering Shelton’s booming inside-out lefty forehand, and it was the tactic deployed to rebuff the American’s surge in momentum at the beginning of the fourth set.
Yet it was ultimately not enough to deny Shelton, who pulled Musetti around the court at 5/5 in the tie-break before stretching for a volley winner to set up the only match point he needed. Shelton, No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings, struck 38 winners throughout the two-hour, 52-minute battle, according to Infosys Stats.
Related News :