Ben Shelton made a heartfelt apology to the Australian crowd gathered at John Cain Arena after defeating New South Wales tennis star Dane Sweeny 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the second round of the 2026 Australian Open.
Throughout the game, the crowd shared strong support for Sweeny while being respectful towards Shelton as well. In the post-match interview, Shelton apologized for the result but shared his massive respect for the crowd present.
“It’s clear why the Aussie crowds love him here, and he’s a fan favorite, and I’m sure he’s going to be, I’m sure he’s going to be lighting up John Cain for many years to come,” Shelton said. “This is a court that I’m experienced playing on; I’m experienced playing Aussies here. I’m sorry about the outcome today, but I love the chance, I love the noise, I love the passion that you guys have for the sport, so thanks.”
When Shelton was saying this, the crowd cheered at the American’s kind words for them.
In the match, Shelton served 19 aces against just two double faults and gave away zero break points. His second-round performance was preceded by struggles in his first-round victory against Ugo Humbert.
Ben Shelton Explains His “Tough” Draw Vs Ugo Humbert
Ben Shelton received a tough draw in the Australian Open as his first match was against Ugo Humbert, who failed to received seeding by just one rank. It was a three-set, intense battle where the American came out as a winner in the tiebreaker of the third set.
After the match, Shelton explained how difficult it was to face a fellow left-handed strong player this early in a major title.
“Yeah, I thought I stayed really calm today,” he said in his post-match interview. “Obviously, I knew coming in, on a court like this or anywhere, playing Ugo in the first round is a tough draw. But for me, it was just focusing on the things that I’ve been doing, focusing on the areas that I’ve been trying to improve, and just trying to get better as the match went on.
“I felt like I found some of my better tennis later in the match, and that’s all you can hope for. So, I’m looking forward to trying to continue this form and make it better and better throughout the tournament.”
Shelton’s third-round opponent will be Valentin Vacherot.
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