Ben Shelton and Madison Keys became the first American man and woman to reach the Australian Open semifinals in the same year since 2009, with respective quarterfinal triumphs Wednesday in Melbourne.
Ben Shelton advanced to the semi-final of the hard court major after beating Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4) at the Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday.
A missed double-bounce call, an unseeded Italian hits one of the shots of his life and an all-Australian final is locked in. Here are five quick hits from day 11 of the Australian Open.
Ben Shelton has never been to a Grand Slam final, but he'll have to beat the No. 1 tennis player in the world to get there.
The 21st seed Ben Shelton is through to his second Major semi-final at the Australian Open, the first in Melbourne. The young American ousted Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 in three hours and 50 minutes, remaining on the title course.
Ben Shelton's Australian Open quarterfinal foe, Lorenzo Sonego, produced the shot of the tournament — diving to his left for a volley with so much spin that the ball bounced on one side of the net, then floated back over to the other — but it was the American who ended up with the victory Wednesday.
Just hours after securing his place in the Australian Open semifinals, American Ben Shelton took to social media to congratulate countrywoman Madison Keys.
Madison Keys is back into the Australian Open semifinals for a third time after her 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win Wednesday over Elina Svitolina of Ukraine. The 29-year-old Keys is on a 10-match winning streak after warming up for the year's first major with a title at Adelaide, where she beat fellow American Jessica Pegula in the final.
Iga Swiatek booked her second Australian Open semi-final with a spectacular display while men's champion Jannik Sinner was also at his brilliant best.
Sinner's remarkable on-court ability to block out any distraction from his mission has been on full display as he seeks to defend his Melbourne title.
MELBOURNE: Defending champion Jannik Sinner raced into the Australian Open semifinals on Wednesday in imperious fashion after Iga Swiatek was