Tennis · International
Shelton holds off Carreno Busta comeback to reach Australian Open third round
The American won 6-3, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4 against the returning Spaniard and secured a place in Melbourne's last 32 for the third consecutive year.
Event date:
Four sets settle a first meeting
Ben Shelton advanced to the Australian Open third round on 16 January 2025, defeating Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4 at Melbourne Park. The No.21 seed won the first two sets, lost the third in a tiebreak, and then completed the match in the fourth. It was the players' first meeting, according to the ITF's match notes.
The tournament's daily men's recap, published on 17 January, confirmed the result from the preceding day's play. ATP post-match coverage also dated the victory to Thursday, 16 January. Those dates distinguish when Shelton earned his place in the last 32 from when the tournament published its broader review of the day's matches.
Carreno Busta makes the favorite finish the job
Carreno Busta's 7-4 third-set tiebreak win prevented Shelton from completing a straight-sets victory. The American's response was immediate in the larger shape of the match: instead of surrendering another set, he took the fourth 6-4 and closed the contest. The score records a successful recovery from a lost closing opportunity rather than a match won without interruption.
The Spaniard's ability to extend the contest was significant because his recent playing history had been shaped by injury. His ranking of No.182 did not reflect an uninterrupted decline through a full schedule. He had entered Melbourne using a protected ranking, and he brought the experience of two US Open semifinals and a previous place in the world's top ten.
A major win had marked the Spaniard's return
Carreno Busta had beaten qualifier Kamil Majchrzak 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round. ATP's feature published before the Shelton match described that as his first Grand Slam match victory in two years, following the elbow injury that had interrupted his career. Winning a round in Melbourne supplied a concrete marker of his return before Shelton ended the campaign.
The ITF documented the extent of that interruption: Carreno Busta contested only six events at any level between January 2023 and May 2024, and missed the 2024 Australian Open with a right elbow problem. His second-round resistance therefore belonged to a return to major competition, rather than the routine performance of a fully established seed.
Shelton continues a productive Melbourne record
For Shelton, the result meant a third consecutive appearance in the Australian Open third round. He had reached the quarterfinals on debut in 2023 and the third round in 2024, when Adrian Mannarino beat him in five sets. The latest victory maintained that initial consistency while leaving the larger tournament challenge ahead.
Shelton had begun the 2025 event by beating fellow American Brandon Nakashima 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-5. Carreno Busta then required a fourth set, and the next opponent was No.16 seed Lorenzo Musetti. The two opening wins secured that meeting; they did not guarantee a repeat of the 2023 quarterfinal. Closing after the lost third set was the decisive immediate step in keeping Shelton's Melbourne campaign moving.
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