American Tommy Paul ended rising star Ben Shelton’s surprise run at the Australian Open to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final in Melbourne.
World No. 35 Paul won 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 5-7 6-4 over fellow 20-year-old Shelton at Rod Laver Arena.
Shelton, who was still taking university courses online, had never left the United States before going to Australia.
Paul, 25, will face nine-time winners Serbia Novak Djokovic or fifth Russian seed Andrei Rublev in the last four.
“It’s my first time on this court, my first in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam. It’s also the first time that Ben Shelton has left the United States, so I think he also made a very good tournament,” said Paul.
“Reaching the second weekend of a Slam is everyone’s dream when they start playing tennis, so I can’t believe I’m here right now.”
Former world number one Djokovic, a clear favorite for the men’s title as he chases a record 22nd Grand Slam, takes on Rublev at 08.30 GMT.
Third Greek Seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will meet russian Karen Khachanov in the other semi-finalboth matches taking place on Friday.
Paul, the first American men’s semi-finalist at the Australian Open since 2009, reached the fourth round of a major tournament for the first time at Wimbledon last year and was not past the third round in Melbourne Park.
But he further extended his best Slam run against world No. 89 Shelton, who was trying to become just the fourth Open Era man to reach a semi-final in his first two Grand Slam appearances.
It was a game-changing tournament for southpaw Shelton, ranked outside the top 500 a year ago, as he showcased his talent through four wins despite arriving in Melbourne with “no expectations”.
Shelton, who hit 24 aces, saw his opportunities limited as he lost two sets to regular Paul, but seized his chances in the third as he fought back impressively after a breakdown to force a fourth set .
However, Paul would no longer be denied. He restored order with an immediate break in serve and then confidently claimed the biggest win of his career after Shelton, who left the pitch to a standing ovation, forced him to do so by saving a ball of game.
