MELBOURNE, Australia — In the fog of his 150mph serves, his seemingly limitless athleticism and his frightening forehand, it is sometimes hard to figure out why Ben Shelton doesn’t win just about every tennis match he plays.

The young American said he felt his level was close to that of the Italian champion, on the sidelines of the Melbourne challenge

Ben Shelton has reached his first Australian Open semifinal by defeating Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 in an entertaining match.