The chips may be down for Ben Shelton, but he’s got backup! The 21st-seed American crashed out of the Australian Open after a majestic run till the semis. Last year’s champion Jannik Sinner beat him squarely in three straight sets in a disappointing end. But the youngster’s spirits are still alive, courtesy of a special person. Just after the grueling match-up, one of his admirers came up with an encouraging message for Ben that will definitely push him as the season progresses. Wondering who that was? His sister, Emma Shelton!

Ben Shelton’s AO campaign started with a bang this season. Since the first-round match against fellow American Brandon Nakashima, the American only lost four sets till his QF match against Italian Lorenzo Sonego. Impressive, right? However, in the semis, he faced current World No. 1 and defending champion Sinner, who already had a 4-1 H2H record against him. And the devastating score line from Rod Laver Arena that bid him goodbye was a decisive straight sets finish at 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-2.

Just before the SF began, the Australian Open Instagram handle posted a short video of Ben Shelton, showing glimpses of his AO journey quoting “Shelton FIRING 😤”. And, right after the SF match ended, Emma Shelton, the sibling of Ben, posted the same reel on her Instagram story, quoting “Insane run ❤️@benshelton”, showing encouragement for her brother after his odds-defying AO journey. However, this is not the first time she has shown up for her brother.

The sibling, unlike her younger brother, didn’t pursue professional tennis as a career – even though she did play at the collegiate level. With a bachelor’s degree in business administration, she is currently working as a Virtual Engagement Associate at Morgan Stanley. Regardless, Emma has been an ardent supporter of her brother. She congratulated Ben on his 2024 Houston Open win – his first clay title – with a post shortly after the event. Even this year also, the sister showed her appreciation for her brother as he registered solid victories against Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in R2, and against Sonego in the QF of AO.

So as things stand, with the victory over Ben, Sinner is through to his second successive AO final where he will face second seed Alexander Zverev in tomorrow’s heavyweight clash. Meanwhile, Ben, after the defeat, shed light on his performance and shared his views about what he is better at when playing against the Italian than others.

“I can bring out some of my best tennis at times” says Ben Shelton after the post-match glaring at the positive aspects 

1-5! Well, the AO semifinal straight-set loss to Sinner hasn’t helped Ben’s H2H record against the Italian. Nobody saw it as this one-sided, right? Well, of course not! After a disappointing ASB Classic where he was beaten in the Round of 16, Ben started his AO run crushing every opponent until the semis. However, the match against Sinner demanded more – and he debriefed his performance soon after.

Following the match, Ben had a post-match press conference where he where he went full-on with his analysis. “I didn’t execute perfectly today, but one of the good things about this matchup is that… I heard Andy Roddick talking about it, but the ball that he hits, he hits a massive ball obviously, but it’s heavy. It has height over the net, it has shape, it’s big, but it also bounces up. For me, I’m a tall guy, I’m a better high-zone hitter, a lot of people do struggle with that ball that’s a little higher in the zone coming fast,” he said.  

That’s not all! He continued about his views on the match, quoting, “Yeah, for me I feel like I can bring out some of my best tennis at times. If I can cut out a few of those drops in level that I had, serve a little bit better, obviously close out that one game I didn’t close out, then we see where we are. It’s motivating for me, I’m going to continue to work hard and build. I can’t take this as a huge negative, right? Not many people have beat him in the last year,” he added. The positive attitude is necessary for the young gun – who steps onto the court again soon.

Up next is the Dallas Open for Ben Shelton, an ATP 500 event in which the American reached the final last year but was eventually beaten by Tommy Paul 2-6, 4-6. How he will fare this year is a tale best left to time. But for the latest on Shelton and his exploits, stay with us, right here at ES!