Ben Shelton reveals strange 'daddy' label fear that motivated him to beat Lorenzo Musetti at Australian Open

Ben Shelton revealed a hilarious ATP Tour inside joke after his third-round win against 16th seed Lorenzo Musetti at the 2025 Australian Open. The American and the Italian played a four-set thriller but it was the 21st seed who emerged victorious 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) after two hours and 52 minutes of riveting tennis.

Shelton and Musseti had played each other at the 2023 Queen's Club Championships and the 2024 Miami Open and it was the latter clinching wins on both occasions. However, the American finally got his revenge and while speaking about the Italian during the on-court interview, he hailed Musetti's unbelievable tennis caliber.

"He's definitely one of the most talented guys on the tour, one of the top 3 shotmakers on the tour, and he does some things you can't believe when you are on the court."

Shelton then hilariously revealed that if a player won against you three times in a row, they would be dubbed your 'daddy'. The 22-year-old was delighted to have avoided being ridiculed by his contemporaries.

“I was 0-2 against him coming into today. We say on tour if someone beats you three times in a row… they’re your daddy. So I was fighting to not let that happen today, and I'm glad that I was able to come out with it."

Up next, Ben Shelton will face a veteran, who has turned back the clock to play some of his career-best tennis in 2025

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Ben Shelton will take on Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals of Australian Open 2025

Ben Shelton - Source: Getty

Ben Shelton will take on Gael Monfils in the fourth round of the 2025 Australian Open, in the maiden meeting between the two powerhouses.

Shelton kicked off his campaign with a straight-sets win over his compatriot Brandon Nakashima following which he ousted Pablo Carreno Busta in four sets, His victory over Lorenzo Musetti helped him reach the second week of the Happy Slam for the second time in his career.

Meanwhile, Monfils defeated the very dangerous Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a topsy-turvy five-setter following which he defeated Daniel Altmaier in straight sets. The in-shape 38-year-old stunned the tennis world by clinching a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(1), 6-4 win against fourth seed Taylor Fritz. The Frenchman is a two-time quarterfinalist in Melbourne. The winner of their match will play either Lorenzo Sonego or qualifier Learner Tien in the quarterfinals.