ATP Tour
Shelton wins ‘Laver Southpaw’, beats Humbert at Australian Open
Musetti progresses, in-form Baez beats Mpesh Perikad, Fonseca loses
January 20, 2026
Phil Walter/Getty Images
Ben Shelton is participating in the 2026 Australian Open as the eighth seed.
Andy West
Ben Shelton, a 2025 semifinalist, returned to form at the Australian Open on Tuesday.
The PIF ATP Ranking No. 7 added another victory to his impressive record at Melbourne hard-court Grand Slams with a 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(5) victory over Ugo Humbert at Rod Laver Arena. According to Infosys Stats data, in the duel between the two left-handers, Sheldon hit 15 aces and scored 78% of his first-serve points (56 (72) points), ultimately winning in 2 hours and 37 minutes.
Big Ben strikes again🕰️
Shelton easily defeated Humbert 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(5)#AustraliaOpen pic.twitter.com/DuEpZE2fXn
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 20, 2026
Shelton currently has a 12-3 record at the Australian Open and will face either Gael Monfils or home qualifier Dane Sweeny in the second round. The 23-year-old will be confident after passing a potentially tricky test in Humbert, which reached the final in Adelaide last week.
Another top-10 star, Lorenzo Musetti, also advanced to the second round earlier Tuesday. The world number five Italian led Rafael Collignon 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5, 3-2, but the Belgian was forced to withdraw from the pair’s first Lexus ATP meeting.
Musetti will next face his compatriot Lorenzo Sonego, who defeated Carlos Taberna 6-4, 6-0, 6-3, while another Italian, No. 22 seed Luciano Dadri, defeated Christian Garin 7-6(5), 7-5, 7-6(3) to win the Australian Open main draw title for the first time.
Dudley will face Sebastian Baez in the second round, having scored a major victory in the first round. Baez arrived in Melbourne after going 3-0 in Fed Cup singles and reaching the Auckland final. The 5-foot-7 Argentinian extended his statement into 2026 by winning a “little vs. big” clash with 6-foot-7 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Baez withstood 30 aces from his opponent and won 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, improving his record to 8-1 this year. The 25-year-old also moved up two spots to No. 34 in the PIF ATP live rankings.
Eliot Spizzirri’s 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 upset win at 1573 Arena denied Joao Fonseca any heroics at Melbourne Park in 2026. A year after Fonseca defeated Andrei Rublev in his Grand Slam main draw debut, Spitzri easily beat the Brazilian 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 to set up a meeting with either Luca Nardi or Wu Yibing.
