American Ben Shelton is looking like a genuine threat at this Australian Open, while reigning champion Madison Keys faces a blockbuster all-American clash with the red-hot Jessica Pegula.<\/p>\n
Ben Shelton was super impressive against Vacherot in his third-round encounter, and I just can\u2019t see how Casper Ruud beats the American here.<\/p>\n
Ruud does own the head-to-head, including a hard-court win at Acapulco the last time they met, but that was two years ago.<\/p>\n
Shelton is now inside the top ten in the world and continues to perform on the big stage, particularly at the Australian Open. Since July last year, the American is 11-3 on hard courts against players ranked between 11 and 50. He gets this done.<\/p>\n
Jessica Pegula has been outstanding so far, dropping just ten games across her three matches.<\/p>\n
That said, Madison Keys is a very different proposition to Pegula\u2019s previous opponents. Last year\u2019s champion hasn\u2019t been as dominant early, but she\u2019s still yet to drop a set on her way to the fourth round.<\/p>\n
Keys beat Pegula in last year\u2019s Adelaide final and owns a 2-1 head-to-head record over her compatriot, including a dominant US Open win in 2023, the only time they\u2019ve met at a major.<\/p>\n
Pegula is 3-7 against top-10 opposition on hard courts over the past 12 months, dropping at least one set in nine of those ten matches. If Keys loses this, it\u2019s in three.<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t overly impressed with Taylor Fritz\u2019s performance against Stan Wawrinka. While the circumstances were emotional with Stan\u2019s Australian Open farewell, he\u2019s still 40 years old and playing in 40-degree heat.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been far more impressed with Musetti\u2019s run so far through a tougher draw featuring Collignon, Sonego and Machac.<\/p>\n
Their head-to-head sits at 3-3, but it\u2019s the Italian who has won three of the last four meetings, including a five-set Wimbledon thriller in 2024. This shapes as another tight one.<\/p>\n
With Sabalenka and Swiatek both looking slightly vulnerable, Anisimova can sense a major opportunity.<\/p>\n
The American is 12-2 on hard courts over the past 52 weeks against players ranked between 21 and 50. While Xin Yu Wang is dangerous, she\u2019s just 1-7 against top-10 opposition on hard courts across her career.<\/p>\n