Ben Shelton reached a second grand slam semifinal as he overcame Italian Lorenzo Sonego in their quarterfinal matchup at the Australian Open, coming through a winner in four sets 6-4 7-5 4-6 7-6 in an exciting match between two creative big hitters.
Shelton, known for his energetic personality and swagger while on the court, used his massive serve and forehand combination to defeat his opponent on Rod Laver Arena. However, his forehand nearly got him into trouble and a sticky spot with the chair umpire Tom Sweeney, as a series of unfortunate events led to the American southpaw striking the umpire twice in quick succession.
Returning Sonego’s serve in the second set, Shelton aimed for a big forehand down the line, but struck the umpire’s chair as it went a little wild. Shelton was quick to apologize and make sure Australian umpire Sweeney was okay, with the umpire reacting positively.
However, things went from bad to worse for Shelton, as in Sonego’s next service game, he shanked a forehand return, although off a fault serve. This time it had less pace, but headed right towards the umpire, allowing Sweeney to show off his reflexes for the crowd and complete a catch.
The umpire saw the funny side of the situation, putting up two fingers and smiling towards Shelton. The young American also took it in spirit, smiling along and sharing a light-hearted moment with Sweeney after the incident.
“This is getting personal now,” quipped the commentator on-air after the second time Sweeney was caught by Shelton’s forehand. Sweeney was earlier involved in a slightly contentious moment in the match, as Shelton took issue with the amount of time he was being provided between serves, asking the umpire not to rush him with the serve clock in the first set.
Later, Sweeney incorrectly called a double bounce in a crunch moment in the set. However, video replay provided enough evidence for the Australian umpire to overturn his call. However, it was a largely cordial match between the umpire and the players.
Shelton comes through test unfazed
Shelton ultimately came through and won the fourth set when Sonego looked to be in the ascendancy, with the pair providing some excellent tennis to the Rod Laver Arena crowd as Shelton won 7-4 to win the set and the match.
The American will next face either home favorite Alex de Minaur or world number one Jannik Sinner in the semifinal, as he looks to continue his meteoric rise with a potential maiden grand slam final in Melbourne.
