Australian Open: Semifinals! Tommy Paul ends Ben Shelton's journey
Tommy Paul has advanced to the semi-finals of the 2023 Australian Open. The American defeated his compatriot Ben Shelton 7: 6 (6), 6: 4, 5: 7 and 6: 4.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jan 25, 2023, 08:39 am
Ben Shelton's first trip outside of the United States has come to an end. At least from a sporting point of view. Because Shelton, who has only played tournaments in the USA so far and was among the 100 best professionals in the world last year, lost to Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open 2023 6: 7 (6), 4: 6, 7: 5 and 4:6. For Paul, reaching the semi-finals in Melbourne is the biggest success of his career.
It was already clear before this match that 14 years after Andy Roddick, an American would finally reach the semi-finals in Melbourne. It comes as no surprise that Tommy Paul was the man with significantly more experience. Especially in the third set, Shelton was able to show once again how much fighting spirit he is blessed with: Paul managed the break to make it 4:3, Shelton immediately hit back and then fended off breakballs on his own serve. And managed to win the set a few minutes later. In the fourth act, however, Paul showed himself to be a somewhat more mature player.
In the semifinals, Tommy Paul will definitely be an outsider - whether it's against Novak Djokovic or Andrey Rublev. Paul has a 1: 4 record against Rublev, although he has never played against Djokovic. But the Serb goes into every match in Melbourne as a favorite.
Here is the men's individual tableau
laver arena