Ben Shelton came well short against Jannik Sinner in a major event yet again. The American sensation couldn’t match up with the World No. 2 as he went down in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Australian Open. Shelton was defeated 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
After losing in the quarters, Shelton posted a message on Instagram, sharing how he feels. Along with the powerful caption, Shelton also shared photos from his encounter with Sinner at Rod Laver Arena.
“Failure only fuels me. Thanks Melbourne 🙏🏽” Shelton wrote in the caption.
In the aftermath of loss, Shelton received an encouraging message from his girlfriend, Trinity Rodman, who is in DC following her massive contract signing with the Washington Spirit. While she couldn’t be present in Australia, she was proud of Shelton’s effort in the Australian Open.
“Proud of u always,” she wrote.
Jannik Notes Improvement In Ben Shelton Despite Registering 9th Straight Win
Before this match, Ben Shelton had lost only one set in the 2026 Australian Open. But against the Italian, he was broken in every set and couldn’t break back. Sinner holds quite the sway over Shelton as he has now won 22 straight sets and nine matches in their encounters. However, the Italian notes improvement in Shelton.
“It’s very tough to play against Ben,” Sinner said. “He has a huge serve, and he’s improving so much year after year. Especially after the off-season, you never know how certain players are going to play against you and how they have changed other things.”
Meanwhile, Shelton acknowledged where he fell short in the match against Sinner.
“Jannik is a very tough out. I think that was one of the tough things that I dealt with today,” Shelton said. “I felt like, as well as I was hitting the ball, I couldn’t get him out of his rhythm as much as I wanted to.”
Because of the loss in the quarters, Shelton is set to lose 400 ranking points since he reached the semifinals here last season. As a result, he will concede his top American title to Taylor Fritz. However, the No. 9 won’t go out of the top 10. The next major tournament for Shelton would be Indian Wells in the BNP Paribas Open, followed by the Miami Open in March. He’s likely to participate in the Dallas 500 and Acapulco 500 in February.
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