American Ben Shelton withstood an attacking onslaught from Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego on Wednesday to claim a place in the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time with a hard-fought 6-4 7-5 4-6 7-6(4) victory.

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World No.55 Sonego came to the net 90 times – winning 67 of them – and put Shelton under enormous pressure throughout, but the 22-year-old left-hander survived the storm to reach the last four of a slam for the second time. 

“I feel relieved right now,” said Shelton, who also made the semis at the US Open in 2023.

“Shout out Lorenzo Sonego, because that was some ridiculous tennis. I’m just happy to go through, to get my first win on Rod Laver Arena. It was one of my favourite matches of my career.”

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Sonego had taken out two of the next generation of stars in beating Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal and he didn’t disappoint, his throw-back brand of tennis thrilling the crowd on a breezy afternoon at Melbourne Park.

The 29-year-old produced some outrageous shot-making, none more so than the diving backhand volley that spun back over the net and saved break point in the opening game of the second set.

But he also made some wild mistakes and Shelton was that little bit more consistent, his tally of 33 unforced errors dwarfed by the 55 of Sonego, who nevertheless entertained the crowd, especially with his play at the net.