WATCH: Minutes after Iga Swiatek-Emma Navarro controversy, Ben Shelton & Lorenzo Sonego face similar double bounce drama at Australian Open

Wednesday turned out to be an unusual day at the Australian Open, with Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Sonego finding themselves in the middle of a double bounce controversy just minutes after a similar incident took place in the quarterfinal between Iga Swiatek and Emma Navarro. Interestingly, both situations ended up with widely different results.

Under the hot sun on Rod Laver Arena, Shelton took the opening set against the Italian, winning it 6-4 with a decisive break of serve late in the set. In the second, things continued just as close, with both players holding serve to start with and testing each other on return.

Midway through the set, with Shelton serving at 1*-2, there was a small moment of drama. As the American scrambled to reach a drop shot, Sonego felt the ball had already bounced twice and asked for a challenge. After looking at the video review from multiple angles, the chair umpire ruled that the ball had indeed hit the ground already, and awarded the point to the Italian.

It should be noted that even before the umpire gave his final verdict, Shelton exhibited a touch of class, conceding the point to his opponent regardless of what the reviews showed.

In the previous match on Rod Laver Arena, Swiatek had missed a similar double bounce. Unfortunately, the original call from the chair umpire was given in favor of the World No. 2 without initially looking into the review. Navarro did not stop the point immediately, thus ruling out the chance of a challenge as well.

Swiatek went on to win the match after the error, sealing victory with a 6-1, 6-2 scoreline and reaching the semifinals for a showdown against American Madison Keys.

In his match-up, Shelton went on to beat Sonego in four sets, booking his spot in the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time in his career.

Ben Shelton will face either Jannik Sinner or Alex de Minaur in Australian Open SF

2025 Australian Open - Day 11 - Source: Getty

On Wednesday, Ben Shelton won 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4) to book his spot in the semifianls of a Grand Slam for the second time, following up on a previous run at the 2023 US Open.

In the next round, he will take on either World No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner, or local favorite Alex de Minaur. Should he reach the final, the American will lock horns with either Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev in the summit clash on Sunday.