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Australian Open: Atlanta native Ben Shelton loses to No. 1 Jannik Sinner in semifinal

2025 Australian Open - Day 13 MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 24: Ben Shelton of the United States plays a forehand against Jannik Sinner of Italy in the Men's Singles Semifinal during day 13 of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 24, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

MELBOURNE, Australia — Ben Shelton’s incredible run at the Australian Open came to an end in the semifinals after No. 1 Jannik Sinner defeated the Atlanta native in straights sets on Friday.

Shelton’s match started off strong and he had a chance to win the first set. But Sinner forced a tiebreaker, won the first set and defeated Shelton in the second set (6-2) and third set (6-2). He will face No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev for the title.

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The Australian Open marked one of the best performances of Shelton’s career. The 22-year-old, who was born and raised in Atlanta until his family moved to Florida, previously made waves with his semifinal appearance in the 2023 U.S. Open.

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Shelton comes from a family of tennis players, including his father Bryan Shelton who sat in the stands throughout the Australian Open to support his son.

Bryan Shelton was an All-American at Georgia Tech in the 1980s and is in the Yellow Jackets’ Hall of Fame. He coached the Georgia Tech women’s tennis team to a national championship in 2007 and eventually took the coaching job at the University of Florida.

In his grand slam singles career, the older Shelton advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon and the second rounds of the Australian Open, French Open and US Open.

Ben Shelton has made it to the semifinals for the U.S. Open and Australian Open, the fourth round at Wimbledon and the third round at the French Open.

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