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Shelton shows his range, rallies past Ruud to book Sinner showdown at Australian Open

  • Posted: Jan 26, 2026

Ben Shelton showcased the growing versatility of his game on Monday at the Australian Open, where he rallied past Casper Ruud to book a return to the quarter-finals in Melbourne.

The 23-year-old American combined resilient defence with bursts of explosive aggression to seal a gripping 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory after two hours, 36 minutes inside Rod Laver Arena. It marks Shelton’s third quarter-final appearance in just four trips to Melbourne Park, where he advanced to a meeting with two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner.

“For me, the atmosphere is everything,” said Shelton. “I’m definitely a competitor. I’m rowdy on the court and I look forward to rowdy crowds. Down here in Australia, there’s no shortage… From my first experience, I fell in love with this tournament. It’s one of my favourites marked down on the calendar every year.”

Ruud had set the tone early with a dominant serving display in the opening set, but the Norwegian will rue costly lapses on serve late in both the second and third sets, moments that allowed Shelton to wrestle control of the contest.

Once in front, the eighth seed raised his level, striking a series of eye-catching winners and finishing points at the net with authority. Shelton won 97 per cent (29/30) of net points during the clash, according to Infosys Stats, and dropped just three points on serve in the fourth set as he closed out the match in commanding fashion.

“It’s what you look forward to most in this sport,” Shelton said of his upcoming clash with Sinner, who leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 8-1, including victory in their semi-final meeting in Melbourne last year. “It’s where I wanted to be. I wanted to be back here. I wanted to give myself another shot, improve on some things I didn’t do as well last year and leave it all out on the court.”

Ruud, who reached the fourth round at the Australian Open for the first time since 2021, will now head home to Norway, where he and his wife Maria are expecting a daughter.

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Rodesch wins Oeiras Challenger as college tennis pipeline delivers again

  • Posted: Jan 26, 2026

Luxembourg’s Chris Rodesch captured his second ATP Challenger trophy on Sunday when he triumphed at the Indoor Oeiras Open 1 in Portugal.

The 24-year-old, a former standout at the University of Virginia, adds to the list of collegiate alums to succeed at the next level. Last year, 23 different players with college tennis experience earned at least one ATP Challenger title, including Rodesch, who won his maiden crown in Tallahassee in April.

Now back in the winner’s circle, the 6’6” (198cm) Rodesch defeated Hungary’s Zsombor Piros 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the Oeiras final.

“I’m really happy, it was a really tough week,” said Rodesch, up 55 places to No. 154 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. “I felt like my first two tournaments in Australia, I had a really good level, but I didn’t get rewarded the way I wanted to.

“So to get rewarded now, in the third tournament of 2026, with the level I’m playing, is really nice. It’s a really, really special feeling to win my second Challenger.”

Rodesch graduated from the University of Virginia in 2024, earning ITA All-American honours three times during his college career. Rodesch and former World No. 21 Gilles Muller are the only players from Luxembourg to win on the ATP Challenger circuit.

Paraguay’s Vallejo wins fourth Challenger trophy
Adolfo Daniel Vallejo captured his fourth Challenger title at the Itajai Open in Brazil, where he overcame home hope Thiago Seyboth Wild 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 in a three-hour, 13-minute final.

Vallejo, 21, captured two Challenger titles in 2025, including in the final week at the Guayaquil Challenger. After reaching the final round of qualifying at the Australian Open, Vallejo travelled to Brazil and easily made the transition to clay. Vallejo is No. 125 in the PIF Live ATP Rankings, setting him up for a new career high.

<img alt=”Adolfo Daniel Vallejo wins the Itajai Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2026/01/26/15/04/vallejo-itajaich-2026.jpg” />
Adolfo Daniel Vallejo wins his fourth Challenger title, three of which have come in Brazil. Credit: João Pires

Harris, former No. 31, returns to titletown
Former World No. 31 Lloyd Harris won his first title at any level since June 2024 with his victory at the Soma Bay Open in Egypt. The fifth-seeded Harris, who was a quarter-finalist at the 2021 US Open, led Jack Pinnington Jones 6-1, 5-2 in the final when the Briton retired with a right foot injury.

Kwon, two-time tour-level titlist, advances through qualifying en route to trophy
South Korean Soonwoo Kwon also returned to the winner’s circle with his triumph at NovaWorld Phan Thiet Challenger 1 in Vietnam. His first title at Challenger level or above since winning the ATP 250 in Adelaide in 2023, Kwon advanced through qualifying en route to lifting the trophy. The 28-year-old, who won seven matches in eight days, defeated Ilia Simakin 6-2, 7-6(5) in the championship match.

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Sinner snuffs out late Darderi push to reach Australian Open QFs

  • Posted: Jan 26, 2026

Jannik Sinner negotiated a brief moment of late uncertainty on Monday at the Australian Open, but ultimately asserted his authority to defeat fellow Italian Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(2) and move into the quarter-finals in Melbourne.

The No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings struck with authority, pairing relentless precision with a clinical edge that largely kept doubt and drama at bay. Having struggled with cramping against Eliot Spizzirri in the previous round — a match in which he later admitted he “got lucky” with a timely roof closure — Sinner escaped a nervy finish against Darderi, as both his momentum and physical condition briefly threatened to fade.

“It was very difficult. We are good friends off the court, that’s also a small difficulty to put away,” Sinner said of Darderi. “In the third set I had a couple of break chances, [but] I couldn’t use them… Then I got very tight, so I’m very happy that I closed it in three sets.”

In his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Darderi, Sinner dictated from the baseline with clean timing and sharp serving. Darderi briefly threatened late in the third set when he produced a surge of aggressive baseline play to earn four break points at 4-4 and led 2/0 in the tie-break. It loomed as a potential turning point, but Sinner shut the door emphatically, winning seven straight points to close out the victory.

Next up, Sinner will face Ben Shelton or Casper Ruud as he continues his bid to join Novak Djokovic as the only men to lift three consecutive Australian Open titles. The pair now sit just one win apiece away from a potential blockbuster semi-final clash.

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With his two-hour, nine-minute victory over Darderi, Sinner advanced to his fourth Australian Open quarter-final, drawing level with Grigor Dimitrov, Kei Nishikori and Stefanos Tsitsipas for the fourth-most appearances at that stage among active players.

Sinner’s blend of power and efficiency proved decisive in his straight-sets victory, allowing him to close out the match without inviting further questions around his fitness. He finished with 46 winners, including 19 aces, and remained perfect against his countrymen, extending to an 18-0 tour-level record against fellow Italians.

“We put a lot of work in, especially with the serve,” Sinner added. “We changed the motion a bit and I feel for sure a little bit more confident. There is still room to improve, which is normal, but I’m very happy with how I have come back in the new season. At the end of last season, I served really well, [and] it’s much more stable.”

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Musetti completes major QF set, earns Djokovic clash at Australian Open

  • Posted: Jan 26, 2026

Lorenzo Musetti downed fellow Top 10 star Taylor Fritz on Monday at the Australian Open, where the Italian is into his fourth major quarter-final and first in Melbourne.

Combining elite court coverage with his blistering shotmaking, Musetti scored a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory inside Rod Laver Arena to seal a set of quarter-final appearances at the four Slams.

Musetti’s Career-Best Result At Each Major

Major Tournament Best Result
Australian Open QFs (2026)*
Roland Garros SFs (2025)
Wimbledon SFs (2024)
US Open QFs (2025)

*Active

“I think today [my serve] was really working well,” said Musetti, who struck 13 aces and won 84 per cent of his first-serve points. “I think I made one of my best performances in aces in my career so far, so I’m really, really happy.

“When I finished last season pretty late, the goals were to start well this year, because I’d never surpassed the first week here. Making the final in Hong Kong, winning doubles in Hong Kong [with Lorenzo Sonego] and now being in the quarter-finals, for me, it’s really a dream.”

The fifth seed has earned a clash against record 10-time champion Novak Djokovic, who reached the last eight after Czech Jakub Mensik withdrew due to an abdominal muscle injury. Djokovic leads Musetti 9-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, and will enter Wednesday’s meeting on a six-match winning streak against the Italian.

Two days removed from playing a four-hour, 27-minute five-set battle against Tomas Machac, Musetti showed no obvious signs of fatigue under the afternoon sun. Musetti opened his shoulders and dictated play from the baseline, crushing 33 winners and using his heavy top-spin forehand to draw errors from Fritz.

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The American struggled early to land his usually reliable serve, finishing the first set with a 42 per cent first-serve percentage, according to Infosys Stats. Though Fritz found more rhythm behind his delivery as the match wore on, he was unable to make inroads on return (0/2 on break points).

Sporting k-tape on both his left and right oblique areas, Fritz called for the physio at 3-2 in the second set. Musetti, a two-time tour-level titlist, broke Fritz to love at 5-5 later that set, allowing him to serve for a two-sets-to-love advantage. Musetti again broke Fritz in the opening game of the third set and rarely looked back, clinching victory after two hours and three minutes. Musetti kept his cool when serving for the match, landing three deft drop shots en route to holding to love.

“I definitely improved my serve a lot and especially trying to be more aggressive with the forehand and trying to use my variation to lead the game,” Musetti said when asked about adjustments he’s made to improve on hard courts. “Like today, with the forehand trying to open the court and make the opponent move. I think before, I was starting to play too far and I was a little too passive on the rally.

“My coach always keeps telling me to be a little more aggressive and try to go for it, take the lead of the rally. That’s what I did today.”

Musetti is competing at a career-high No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings this fortnight. Last year, he posted a career-best 45 tour-level match wins and competed at the year-end Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. With his latest win, Musetti improved to 4-3 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Fritz, who beat the Italian in Turin in November. The Italian’s victory marked his first hard-court win against Fritz.

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