Ben Shelton has seen a rapid rise on the tennis circuit. A year later to turning pro, in 2023, he caught the eyes of the tennis world by reaching the semifinal of the US Open. The American sensation has been much talked about since and hasn’t disappointed his fans and family. Coming from a tennis-playing family, Shelton also has an elder sibling in the form of sister Emma. But do you know that Emma Shelton also played tennis like her brother?

Emma went to Buchholz High School and is a Gainesville native. Emma Shelton, born on March 18, 2001, is a 23-year-old tennis player who steadily climbed the junior ranks, improving her ranking from the 200s in 2015 to No. 72 in 2018. Her impressive seven-match winning streak at the USTA Winter National Championships in January earned her the prestigious ITA Carolina Region Rookie of the Year award.

Much like her brother Ben, she honed her tennis skills at the collegiate level. After transferring from the University of South Carolina, she joined the Florida Gators in 2021. She won all her five matches in singles play at the Bedford Cup en route to claiming the Green bracket individual title during the 2022-23 season.

Emma graduated from the University of Florida in May 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Emma prefers to maintain a degree of privacy, and details about her personal life beyond her collegiate career are limited.

Interestingly, Emma’s brother, Ben, used to hate tennis during his childhood days. However, watching his sister play, Shelton followed and played the sport but didn’t have much success against his sister. Ben Shelton once said, “She used to beat me all the time at first, not anymore. We practice together pretty much every day, but we don’t always play matches against each other.”

Unlike Ben Shelton, Emma didn’t pursue professional tennis. She is currently working as a Virtual Engagement Associate at Morgan Stanley. Nonetheless, she can be often seen cheering for her brother from the stands and leaving encouraging messages for him on social media.

Last year, after Ben captured the title in Houston, Emma posted a congratulatory message on social media to celebrate her brother’s remarkable win. Additionally, she also celebrated Shelton reaching the Australian Open final for the first time by sharing a reel on her official Instagram handle.

Meanwhile, Shelton will have his task cut out against Jannik Sinner in the last four of the Australian Open. Ahead of the match, he had a suggestion for the home crowd.

Ben Shelton invites the Australian crowd to boo him

After defeating Lorenzo Sonego in the quarterfinals, Shelton will face another Italian, Jannik Sinner, in the last four. The latter is a big favorite to defend his title and will have the crowd’s support due to his World Number 1 rank. On the other hand, Shelton will be the underdog going into the match. Nonetheless, the American sensation wants the crowd to boo and ignite him during the semifinal match.

Shelton said, “Well, I mean, if it’s the home favourite, Alex de Minaur, 100 per cent you guys can boo me, you can throw stuff at my head. I understand, home guy. If it’s the No. 1 in the world, it’ll probably be the same. I’m looking forward to it. I know I got a few people in the crowd who are going to be pulling for me, too.”

Interestingly, Jannik Sinner defeated Alex de Minaur, the home favorite, in the quarterfinals. Thus, it remains to be seen if Sinner receives much support from the local fans.