![\"Jannik](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sinner-shelton-australian-open-2026-qf-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n ATP Tour
\n Shelton on Sinner loss: ‘I’m trying to put all the pieces together’<\/p>\n
American has lost all four major meetings against Sinner<\/p>\n
January 28, 2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Phil Walter\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Jannik Sinner defeats Ben Shelton in straight sets in Melbourne on Wednesday.
\n By Sam Jacot<\/p>\n
Ben Shelton<\/a> may have been stopped at a major for the fourth time by Jannik Sinner<\/a>, but the American left Rod Laver<\/a> Arena on Wednesday with plenty to be encouraged by after another deep Grand Slam run.<\/p>\n The eighth seed dropped just one set en route to his fifth major quarter-final before running into the Italian once again, with Sinner extending his dominance in the rivalry to a 9-1 lead in the pair\u2019s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.<\/p>\n \u201cI think my level is better, and I’m getting better and better and becoming a lot less limited,\u201d Shelton said when analysing his progress. \u201cI think this game takes time, and the results don’t always come when you want them. I’m getting to the point now where I’m getting stopped by the toughest challenge in the game for the most part, and I do think that I’m close to bringing it all together.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it’s just going to take that one time where I do it to kind of get me over the hump. It’s always been that way for me. Certainly not discouraged from a performance like this, but I want to see myself get out in front and see what I can do from there in a match rather than falling behind just because I know how I feel when I get out in front at slams. I feel like I’m untouchable. I guarantee the other guys at the top feel the exact same.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s a matter of time and work just trying to put all the pieces together, because I’m not complete yet, but I feel myself becoming more complete.\u201d<\/p>\n You May Also Like: Sinner brushes past Shelton, sets Djokovic Australian Open SF<\/a><\/p>\n Shelton reached his first major quarter-final at the Australian Open<\/a> in 2023. The 23-year-old has since won three tour-level titles, including his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Toronto, and cracked the Top 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings.<\/p>\n At Slams, Shelton has often delivered, highlighted by semi-finals at the US Open<\/a> (2023) and Australian Open<\/a> (2025). It is under those conditions, he admits, that his competitive instincts are strongest.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m an addict. I’ve become more and more addicted to this game and figuring things out, chasing the guys who are ahead of me,\u201d Shelton said. \u201cIt’s feeling the pressure that you feel on the court at a Grand Slam, there’s no better feeling\u2026 That’s what drives me every day, and I just feel like the drive getting stronger and stronger each year.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\u201cATP\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/atp-no-1-club-banner-article.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n