American males advance en masse on the Australian Open

Paul meets Roberto Bautista Agut, a Spanish veteran seeded twenty fourth and the one seeded participant left within the backside quarter of the draw.

The Australian Open 2023

The primary Grand Slam occasion of the 12 months takes place in Melbourne from January sixteenth to twenty ninth.

The opposite gamers on this part are Shelton and Wolf, former school stars who will face off on Monday. Shelton received the NCAA singles title for the College of Florida final 12 months, the place he was coached by his father, Bryan Shelton, a former ATP Tour participant. Wolf, 24, performed for 3 years at Ohio State, the place he was a 2019 All-American and Large Ten Participant of the 12 months.

Ben Shelton and Wolf have turn into associates since Shelton turned professional final August. “I had seen him play school tennis, however he was older than me, so we by no means competed,” Shelton stated of Wolf. “We’re good associates, we prefer to crack jokes and joke so much within the locker room.”

Each are solidly constructed and highly effective. Wolf has probably the most penetrating forehands within the sport. Shelton, a left-hander, has probably the most intimidating serves, incessantly exceeding 124 mph. He has gained 83 p.c of his first-serve factors in Melbourne and 64 p.c of his second-serve factors. Shelton wasn’t heartbroken on Saturday as he edged out Alexei Popyrin, the Australian who upset Fritz within the second spherical and once more had a big residence crowd able to help him on the John Cain Area.

“You form of set the tone once I walked in and I used to be booed,” Shelton stated, laughing. “Just like some away video games and school vibes I’ve been to however positively amplified right this moment. The sound in it simply vibrates.”

However Shelton’s dominant play in his win, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-4, typically meant the sector was unusually quiet. His shouts of “Come on!” echoed throughout the room.

“Truthfully, if he performs like today in and time out, the man is within the high 10 in six months,” Popyrin stated.

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