The 2025 Australian Open ended with much fanfare, with World Number 1, Jannik Sinner defending his title. The Italian star defeated Alexander Zverev to lift his third Grand Slam trophy. While Sinner’s performance was a standout at the tournament, there were many other notable performances, which caught the eyes of the tennis world. Among them was the performance of Tommy Paul, due to which he achieved a major milestone in his career. Subsequently, his compatriot, Ben Shelton reacted to Paul’s achievement.

Tommy Paul reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, losing to the eventual runner-up, Alexander Zverev in the last eight. However, throughout the tournament, Paul put on some scintillating displays to enthrall the fans out there. The American star defeated players like Kei Nishikori and even took a set off Zverev before succumbing to defeat. Nonetheless, his quarterfinal appearance enabled Paul to reach his career-best ranking.

Paul earned 300 points owing to his last eight finish Down Under and made his way into the top 10 of the ATP rankings. Ahead of the Australian Open, Paul was ranked 11th. However, his exploits there enabled him to rise 2 spots in the latest rankings and he is currently placed in the 9th position in the ATP rankings. Fellow American, Ben Shelton, was full of praise of Paul, as he shared a post by Tennis Channel on his official Instagram handle, which portrayed Paul’s massive rise after the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.

Shelton and Paul share a wonderful relationship with each other. Earlier this year, as Paul readied himself for a comeback and shared a glimpse of his physique, Shelton was left in awe and took to social media to drop a wonderful reaction. Shelton commented, “Fruity pebs,” as he drooled over Paul’s physique.

Similarly, Paul once praised Ben Shelton as he had a massive rise in his tennis career. After Shelton made it to the semifinal at the 2023 US Open, Paul opened up about Shelton’s rise.

Tommy Paul’s prediction about Ben Shelton came true

Shelton, who is a former NCAA champion, caught the eyes of the tennis world after his exploits at the US Open two seasons ago. This also included Tommy Paul, who closely followed Shelton’s performances in New York. As a result, Paul couldn’t stop to heap praise on the American sensation.

He said, “I didn’t know Ben too much, like, when he was 17 or younger, but I knew his dad a bit. When he first came on the tour—I mean, I wouldn’t say I took him under my wing or anything—but I like the kid, and I knew he was going to be good. It’s fun having him around. He’s definitely young. He’s got that young-kid energy, so it’s a lot of fun, especially with the group of older guys that we have now. I mean, it’s weird to call us older guys, but, like, coming up with Foe and Fritz, we just have a bunch of good players.”

While both Paul and Shelton had a promising result at the Australian Open after their quarterfinal and semifinal appearances, respectively, the two would certainly aim to win the big trophy someday. Can the American duo taste success on the sport’s highest level? Let us know your views in the comments below.