American youngster Ben Shelton has taken the Australian Open by storm despite feeling he's further away from home than ever.
The 20-year-old arrived in Melbourne very much an unknown quantity, having never won a Grand Slam match and been ranked outside the world's top 500 as recently as last year. He's since risen to a career high of No 89, but would have had few expectations ahead of his first tournament outside the US.
In fact, the trip has represented his first venture outside of his birth country of any kind. But there's been little time to enjoy the surroundings, with his last 16 win over compatriot JJ Wolf leaving him just two wins from a fairytale appearance in the final.
That quest will continue on Wednesday when he takes on another American player in Tommy Paul, leaving Shelton to admit that any hopes of enjoying some tourist time alongside the tennis have been shelved for now: "After the tournament, I will hopefully see a few cool things. You can't come all this way and not take in the sights," he told BBC Sport. "But right now we stick to the routine."
Prior to his win over Wolf, Shelton had also shocked Zhang Zhizhen, Nicolas Jarry, and Alexei Popyrin. That's despite the University of Florida graduate admitting he took a while to adjust to his first long-haul flight.
"Leaving the States for the first time definitely felt strange at first," added Shelton, whose father Bryan is also a former professional on the ATP Tour. "It took me a little bit of time to get over the jetlag and feel like I had got my feet under me after the trip.
"I'm feeling pretty good physically now but it was definitely a difficult adjustment. I've been across the States - from Florida to California - and got my passport in 2019. Finally I got to use it."
Shelton played his debut Slam match at the US Open last September, losing a five setter to Portuguese player Nuno Borges. But he hopes his current experience Down Under will stand him in good stead for the extensive travelling demands that each player faces on the ATP Tour.
"Getting to see two new countries, Australia and New Zealand, has been a cool experience so far," he added, "And I'm looking forward to seeing more of the world over the coming months when I'm on the tour."
