Jan 26 (Reuters) - Ben Shelton has lost to Jannik Sinner in their last eight meetings, but the American eighth seed believes his game has improved enough to give him a chance to upset the Australian Open defending champion in Wednesday's quarter-final clash.
Shelton beat Norwegian 12th seed Casper Ruud in the fourth round on Monday to set up his first match with Sinner since a straight-sets loss to the Italian second seed at the ATP Finals in November.
"I think my return game has improved a lot. A year ago today I wasn't comfortable hitting a forehand return. I didn't put a lot in play. I had to go to the chip a lot to put it in play," Shelton told reporters.
"And now I'm getting to a point in the match where I feel like I'm (in) lockdown mode, and I can't miss one. I think that that is a piece that really helps me, because you got to play offensive tennis to beat the best guys."
The 23-year-old was eliminated by Sinner from the Australian Open semi-finals last year. He also lost to Sinner at Wimbledon for two years straight.
However, Shelton said he felt confident in his net play and decision-making ahead of his 10th meeting with Sinner, with the American looking for his first win over the four-time Grand Slam winner since their first match in 2023.
"I think my game is a lot different. I think the way that I'm executing, one, at the net is going to be a huge advantage to me. I think the way that I'm mixing things up from the baseline is a lot different than a year ago," Shelton said.
"For the most part, since I've been here, I've never hit my forehand this good. I feel like I have great control. I feel like I'm hitting it bigger than I've ever hit it."
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
