Ben Shelton adds his name to America’s black tennis talents to watch Andscape

The kind people at Tennis Australia probably wouldn’t have argued with their crown jewel, the Australian Open, being temporarily renamed the 2023 American Open. The reason for the fleeting new title of the first Grand Slam of the tennis calendar? Yankee representation ensures victory after victory in the draw.

In a spectacular first fortnight for American tennis players, winning individual titles in Auckland (won by Coco Gauff) and Hobart and winning the first joint United Cup team competition, rising black tennis hopefuls were at the center of the US separation. which extended deep into the opening week in Melbourne.

Playing professionally outside the United States for the first time in his life, the 20-year-old is one of a handful of American players still competing to keep fans at home excited. Ben Shelton, the reigning NCAA singles champion from the University of Florida, is off to an incredible start to his pro career, advancing to his first round of 16 at a major tournament.

The strong but skilled left-hander defeated promising Australian Aleksei Popyrin in straight sets 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. Playing with the home crowd advantage at John Cain Arena, Popyrin took Taylor Fritz, the No. 8 seed and the top American man, in five sets before his match with Shelton. That rabid Aussie support could have shocked any of the 20-year-olds, but Shelton provided another example of the match’s maturity shown over six months.

Shelton was more than ready for most of the 18,000 crowd to turn against him. In a contest that was really 50/50 before the bout, Shelton made the 23-year-old look like he barely had any tour experience. Shelton will face American JJ Wolf round of 16 on Sunday evening (10 p.m. ET, ESPN2 or ESPN+)

Instrumental to Sheltons moxie is his father, Bryan Shelton, a former ATP player who reached as high as 55th in 1992 and coached his son in Florida. Over the past two decades, Bryan Shelton has transformed himself from a reputable professional player to one of the nation’s leading tennis coaches. He coached Georgia Tech to the women’s championship in 2007 before coaching his son to the men’s championship at Florida in 2021.

With Sheltons game, he could join or even eclipse Frances Tiafoe as the latest black American male to try to break into the Top 10.

Only two black American men have ever been in the Top 10nearly 50 years of historyOn the ATP list (Arthur Ashe, James Blake). MaliVai Washington, a 1996 Wimbledon finalist, just missed the Top 10 at a career-high No. 11. Tiafoe is currently No. 17. Ashe remains the only black American man to win a Grand Slam, far behind Serena and Venus Williams for 30 major singles victories .

Gauff, Madison Keys and Tiafoe showcased their Grand Slam winning potential in the first year of the post-Serena Williams era. Gauff used his Auckland Championship form in his bid for his first Slam. Keys and Tiafoe brought their distinctive United Cup championship form to defeat opponents in their first two rounds at the Australian Open.

It was even more encouraging to see wins for Taylor Townsend, her first mother, young journeymen Chris Eubanks and Michael Mmoh, who made his first Slam round as a lucky loser after he almost flew in Melbourne and missed out on a career-changing tournament.

America’s early takeover of this Aussie Open suffered a setback as the week progressed. Eubanks and Townsends runs came to an abrupt end with close second round losses. Mmohs improbable run and career-high climb into the Top 85 ended with a straight sets loss to Wolf. And unfortunately, Tiafoe, Keys and Gauff got rude awakenings.

Tiafoe made more noise her colorful sweater as her racket this Slam as Russia’s Karen Khachanov continued success over the Maryland native, eliminating him in the third round. Victoria Azarenka denied Keys a chance to play in the second weekend, going 4-4 ​​against her as she won in three sets at Rod Laver Arena. And Gauff’s bid to live up to his lofty expectations of a Slam singles title was put on hold thanks to a dangerous Jelena Ostapenko, who again reminded why she is a French Open winner. statement 7-5, 6-3 victory over 18-year-old prodigy.

Shelton’s unlikely run to the title would likely put him in the Top 10, which would be one of the most shocking results in sports: Player which ranked 433rd in July goes to his second major ever and lifts the trophy two weeks later. It’s an amazing thought, but nothing about Sheltons game leaves you confused and confused about his potential. He even became a new Australian fan favorite despite beating one of the promising stars in Popyrin.

This stadium is something special, Shelton said about electric fan support which he beat in round 3. I know you guys were going for your hometown boy today and I didn’t have most of the crowd on my side. But thanks to everyone who supported me, I appreciate it, big crowd.

Regardless of how the rest of the tournament goes, Shelton is on a great path with other American tennis players, black, white, Asian and Latino, making it an encouraging start to 2023 for the United States. And Shelton might even have some Aussies end up calling their crown jewel the US Open: The Remix.