Ben Shelton has been enjoying a superb Australian Open campaign, storming all the way to the quarterfinals.
Shelton was handed a very difficult draw in Melbourne, but he has managed to overcome every hurdle in his way so far.
However, the most difficult test on paper now arrives, with the American facing two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Sinner is the second seed at the Australian Open, where he has won two of his four career Grand Slam titles.
Patrick Mouratoglou compares Ben Shelton to Carlos Alcaraz
Shelton, in contrast, does not have a Grand Slam title to his name, and was beaten by Sinner in last year’s semifinal.
However, the American has now received high praise from Patrick Mouratoglou, who famously helped Serena Williams to 10 of her 23 Grand Slam titles.
The coach said on his Instagram: “I think what Shelton did in that match (versus Casper Ruud in round four) is amazing.
“He was really dominated, he lost 6-3 in the first set, and the reaction was incredible.
“It can be compared with [Carlos] Alcaraz.
“Sometimes when he has a down, he’s dominated, he’s missing, and suddenly something clicks.
“Ben is able to go to that position in terms of level of play.
“When he does this in a lot of matches, there is no more option for the opponent.
“Not many players can handle it, and same with Carlos.”
Ben Shelton’s head-to-head record vs Carlos Alcaraz
It’s certainly high praise for Shelton, who beat Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, with not many players in tennis able to be compared with the world number one.
He has, however, fallen short against the Spaniard time and again, having lost all three of their ATP Tour meetings so far.
But that has largely been the case for any player who has taken on Alcaraz, who is already a six-time Grand Slam champion at the age of 22.
He and Sinner have dominated men’s tennis in recent years, each winning four of the last eight Grand Slam titles.
The ATP Tour is crying out for a challenger to that dominance, with Shelton incidentally very much representing one of the leading candidates.
READ MORE: The sport that Carlos Alcaraz loves playing but often isn’t allowed to
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