{"id":426445,"date":"2026-01-20T23:09:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T23:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/426445\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T23:09:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T23:09:08","slug":"ben-shelton-takes-down-ugo-humbert-in-round-1-of-2026-australian-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/426445\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Shelton takes down Ugo Humbert in Round 1 of 2026 Australian Open"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Florida<\/a> tennis star Ben Shelton swept France’s Ugo Humbert, 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6 (5), in the opening round of the 2026 Australian Open on Monday night.<\/p>\n

Any lingering questions about Shelton’s health \u2014 he suffered an injury at the US Open in August \u2014 were answered as the top-ranked American served 15 aces and won 78% of his first serves. The straight-set victory lasted just 2 hours and 37 minutes.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Shelton’s return game gave him the edge in the first set. A strong forehand return, offering shades of Rafael Nadal, put him out in front 5-2 \u2014 his second break of the set \u2014 before trading service games to take the set.<\/p>\n

He went up in the second set 3-1, but some “unlucky” service games brought Humbert back to force a tiebreak. Trusting his serve and an improving backhand return, Shelton dominated the tiebreak, allowing Humbert just two points before going up 2-0.<\/p>\n

\u201cBreaking two times in that set, I knew I was returning well, I also knew I was serving well, just got a little unlucky with those two breaks \u2013 that\u2019s what I told myself,\u201d Shelton said.<\/p>\n

His backhand served him well in the third. Shelton fired off 21 of his 43 winners, including five aces, to finish off the game without dropping a set.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve played a lot of great tiebreakers here, I\u2019ve got a lot of experience, and I think that helped me a lot today,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously, playing Ugo in the first round is a tough draw, on a court like this or anywhere. For me, it\u2019s just about focusing on what I\u2019ve been working on and the areas I\u2019m trying to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Up next for Ben Shelton at 2026 Australian Open<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Shelton faces Australian Dane Sweeny, who ranks No. 182 in the world and had to play through qualifiers to reach the main draw. Sweeny beat France’s Gael Monfils, 3-1, in the first round, putting him at 11 sets already played over the last eight days.<\/p>\n

That match will take place on Jan. 21 on Day 5 of the Australian Open. No time or court is set.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Should Shelton advance, he’ll play either World No. 31 Valentin Vacherot or World No. 114 Rinky Hijikata (wildcard) in the third round. No. 13 Casper Ruud and No. 21 Danil Shapovalov are the favorites to advance to the third-round match that would decide Shelton’s fourth-round opponent.<\/p>\n

Jannik Sinner likely awaits in the quarter-final. Shelton lost to Sinner in the semis last year.<\/p>\n

Ben Shelton’s world ranking, official points<\/p>\n

Shelton entered the first grand slam of the 2026 season as the No. 7 player in the world and the top-ranked American with 4,000 official points.<\/p>\n

He opened the season with a quarter-final appearance at the ATP Auckland 250. He went 1-1 in the tournament, losing to then-World No. 39 Sebastian Baez. However, Shelton made it one round further in the event than he did in 2025, earning him 40 points.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

With that said, Shelton stands to lose a large amount of points in Melbourne after making it to the semi-final of the 2025 Australian Open. Semifinalists earn 720 points in Grand Slam events, and Shelton would have to beat Sinner in the quarter-finals to get there. A loss to Sinner would mean a 360-point dip.<\/p>\n

Follow us\u00a0@GatorsWire<\/a>\u00a0on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>, and like our page on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0to follow ongoing coverage of\u00a0Florida Gators<\/a>\u00a0news, notes and opinions.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Australian Open 2026: Ben Shelton def. Ugo Humbert in Round 1<\/a><\/p>\n