victories away from his first career major final.
Former Gators star Ben Shelton is only two victories away from his first career major final. Photo: Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Former Gator Shelton Advances to Australian Open Quarters For Second Time

Heather Mckenzie January 20, 2025 Feature Sports News, Former Gators, Gators Tennis, Tennis 34 Views

Former Gators tennis star Ben Shelton advanced to the Australian Open quarterfinals for the second time in his career Monday after Gaël Monfils was forced to retire mid-match with a back injury.

Shelton, who reached also the quarters in Melbourne in 2023, led Monfils  7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 1-0 before the ailing Monfils could not continue. Seeking his second career appearance in major tournament semifinal, the 21st-seeded Shelton advanced to play 29-year-old Italian Lorenzo Sonego.  Shelton reached the U.S. Open semifinal in 2023.

It was a grueling match between the 22-year-old American, Shelton, and the 38-year-old Frenchman. After a very physical three sets by both players, the movement began to take a toll on Monfils. Clearly hampered, Monfils called the match and ultimately an end to his 2025 Australian Open run.

Shelton credited Monfils, who upset American No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz in the third round, after the match.

“Obviously he’s played a lot of long matches, so I wanted to make it as physical as possible,” Shelton said in his on-court interview after the match. “There’s a lot of things he does unbelievably well, counter-punching, making you feel uncomfortable on the court, getting to the net. So, being able to find that balance was tricky because he was serving so well.

“Gael is someone I have watched since a little kid, I always say he has the greatest highlight tape of all time, and you saw some of that tonight. At 38 years old, I hope I am still walking without crutches… To push me the way he did today and entertain everyone in New Zealand and Australia in the way he has the last couple of weeks is so impressive.”

Shelton, the son of former Florida tennis coach Bryan Shelton, is one of two Americans left entering next round, joining Tommy Paul, who will face No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev in the quarters.

Sonego is the only unranked player left in the draw. The 29-year-old underdog advanced after defeating American qualifier Learner Tien. Sonego is only the xixth Italian to make it to the Australian Open quarterfinals, joining fellow countryman and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final eight.

Other Results

The rest of the quarterfinals are set. Top-ranked Sinner will play No. 8 Alex de Minaur, while seventh-seeded Novak Djokovic will play reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Shelton’s quarterfinals match will air Tuesday on ESPN.

Tags

About Heather Mckenzie

I am a second-year Journalism Sports and Media major.

Check Also

Shelton Advances To Second Round Of Australian Open

Former Florida standout Ben Shelton defeated fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the first round of the …

© 2025 WRUF / Division of Multimedia Properties