Ben Shelton Hopes to take His Chances against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026

Following an impressive 2025 season, Ben Shelton is set to start 2026 with more confidence. The American star, who broke into the top 10 in July last year, now aims to win his first Grand Slam this season. But he must first overcome the two biggest stars in the men’s circuit: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

After winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Canada, Shelton is eager to add more silverwares into his trophy cabinet. He’s currently in Auckland for the ATP 250 tournament, which he will use as a warm-up ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne. Last year, he reached the semi-finals of the first Grand Slam of the season.

The American No.1 had hopes of reaching the final for the first time in his career, but they were quashed by Sinner, who wasted no time beating him in straight sets. He faced Sinner in the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Championship last July and suffered the same fate, crashing out of the tournament.

However, Shelton is proud of his 13 wins in the four Grand Slam tournaments last season, which is more than any other year of his career. He also claimed 15 wins in ATP Masters events, surpassing his results from the previous years, ending the 2025 season with a 40-24 record and qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin.

In Auckland, during his press conference, Shelton was asked how he seeks to challenge Sinner and Alcaraz this season. The former World No.5 noted that the duo has been better than the rest of the players on tour in the last two years. He added that he and other players will be aiming to take their opportunities against them:

They’ve certainly been ahead of the pack the last couple of years. But in my mind, there are definitely guys who can come up there and challenge, young guys who are playing great, getting better every year. To be doing what Alcaraz and Sinner are doing at such a young age—you forget how young they are—it’s not normal. But I think there are many young guys who haven’t fully developed yet, and we haven’t seen their best tennis. There’s a lot of opportunity for a lot of guys out there.

Alcaraz and Sinner have won the last eight Grand Slams on tour. In each tournament they play, they are more likely to win the title than any other player. Even though there have been debates about who will challenge them this year, Sinner and Alcaraz have stood out in their game because of how fast they evolve on the court.

Ben Shelton focused on his game rather than the results in Auckland

Ben Shelton is the top seed at the Auckland Classics, so he has been handed a first-round bye. He will kick off his 2026 campaign in the second round against Francisco Comesana. He hopes to win the tournament, which will give him a huge boost ahead of the Australian Open, which starts on January 18.

Speaking ahead of his opening match, he revealed that he’s not focused on the results of the tournament but rather on how well he performs on the court. He narrated on the need to improve on what he achieved last season on the court and how he wants to play in 2026:

For me, it’s not all about the results. It’s more about what I find in my game, the things that I figure out. There are a lot of areas I improved last year. I was really happy. I felt like I did a lot of things that I hadn’t done before—getting my first Masters 1000 title, playing well on surfaces other than hard courts for the first time. There’s a lot to build off this year, and that’s what I’m hoping to do.

Shelton will need to perform at his best level in Auckland and Melbourne, if he drops out of the top 10 on the second day of February. He will have to win matches in Auckland and then hope to reach the quarter-finals or semi-finals at the Australian Open, which will be a good improvement from last season, but not his best.

Also Read: Former Wimbledon Champion Questions Novak Djokovic’s Chances for the Australian Open title

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