Bryan Shelton competed in the Australian Open main draw six times in singles during his career. But perhaps his most notable moment in Melbourne came off the court. One year, the American was in the lobby of the Como Hotel when he met a woman named Lisa, the sister of colleague Todd Witsken.

This year, Bryan and Lisa’s son, Ben Shelton, is playing in the Australian Open for the first time.

“I think that would be a cool place to see,” the younger Shelton told ATPTour.com of the Como Hotel, cracking a laugh.

Shelton is one of the hottest prospects on the circuit. The lefty was even invited to participate in Australian Open Kids Tennis Day alongside superstars like Ashleigh Barty, Iga Swiatek, Nick Kyrgios and more.

What might surprise you is that the No. 92 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings is on his first trip outside the United States. Why?

“I was asking my dad about playing some ITFs or playing outside the country [in the juniors] and he asked me if I was the best player in the United States,” Shelton recalled. “I told him, ‘No, I’m not.’ And he said, ‘So why would we go to another country when you’re not the best player here?’

“I think it was pretty good advice looking back at it and I’m getting all those experiences now, so I’m pretty happy with how things went.”

Shelton certainly picked a doozy for his first international trip, flying across the world to Australia. Before departing for his first tournament of the year in Adelaide, the longest flight he had taken was six hours from Miami to San Francisco.

“The timing ended up that we left around 10, 11 p.m. from LA and I landed at 8 a.m. in Australia, so I was able to sleep most of the flight and take it like a normal night of sleep. It wasn’t too bad,” Shelton said, cracking a smile. “Maybe a little bit [nervous] about how my body was going to react after the flight, but I wasn’t too nervous about actually flying.

“I told myself I was going to try to sleep most of the time and that seemed to be the easiest way to try to pass the time. That was the goal and I did a pretty good job.”

The American admitted if he had to redo anything, he would have flown over a few days earlier to give himself extra time to prepare before his first match. But Shelton knows he is going through a learning process, taking new lessons on board every day during his first full season as a professional.

“I’m really excited to be out here full time,” Shelton said. “Hopefully meet some awesome people, make some good friendships. I love playing tennis and competing so I hope it’s going to be a really fun year.”

Shelton, a former standout student-athlete for the University of Florida, turned pro just before last year’s US Open after an impressive stretch during which he excelled on the ATP Challenger Tour and defeated Lorenzo Sonego and Casper Ruud in Cincinnati. In 2022, the American lifted three Challenger trophies in as many weeks to complete his season and crack the world’s Top 100.

During the offseason, he returned to Gainesville to train with his former teammates and his father, who is the team’s head coach.

“We have a group chat that we all text in pretty much every day, so I’m still really close with the team. I talk to them all the time,” Shelton said. “I trained with the team in Gainesville and got a lot of good work done with them and my dad, so things went well. I thought I got better on the court and off the court, in the gym. So I’m happy with how things went.”

Although Shelton is now physically removed from school, he is continuing his education. The 20-year-old is taking two online classes: entrepreneurship and international business.

“I often have time in the evenings when my day is over, so it hasn’t been too difficult to find time. Two classes is a pretty light schedule, so it hasn’t been too much of a struggle,” Shelton said. “Definitely nice to have something outside of tennis that I can dive into or spend time doing, not become too one-tracked.”

The American has been preparing for his first Australian Open, where he will face China’s Zhang Zhizhen in the first round, so he has not had much time to explore Melbourne.

“I definitely want to go see some animals,” Shelton said, before cracking yet another smile. “I don’t know if it’s at a zoo, but I want to see some koalas or kangaroos, something like that. I think that would be really cool.”

The Como Hotel is on his list, too.

The opening day of Grand Slam action for 2023 features a host of star names looking to make an early statement at the Australian Open. Top 10 stars Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev are all in action, when a trio of home favourites are also hoping to make their mark on Monday in Melbourne.

ATPTour.com looks at some of the biggest clashes on the Day 1 schedule.

View Schedule | View Singles Draw

[1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Jack Draper (GBR)

Defending champion and top seed Nadal arrives at Melbourne Park in a relative slump by his own lofty standards. The Spaniard has lost six of his past seven matches and faces a difficult proposition first up in Melbourne in fast-rising Briton Jack Draper. Yet Nadal knows as well as anyone how to rouse his best level at a Grand Slam — the 36-year-old is chasing a record-extending 23rd major title this fortnight in Australia.

“[It is] probably one of the toughest first rounds possible, being seeded,” acknowledged Nadal when asked about the Draper clash. “[He is] young, powerful, growing very, very fast in the rankings, playing well… [It is] a big challenge for me at the beginning to start the tournament. Let’s see. I’m here to just give myself a chance.”

Draper reached his second ATP Tour semi-final last week at the Adelaide International 2 and the big-hitting lefty is considered one of the game’s brightest prospects. With little to lose in his maiden ATP Head2Head meeting against one of the greats of the sport, the 21-year-old is ready to relish the occasion when he steps out onto Rod Laver Arena.

“It’ll be amazing to play on court with him, he’s a great champion,” said Draper of Nadal. “[There are] a lot of emotions obviously when I think of playing him… Whatever happens, it’ll be a special occasion for me, still very young in my career, so it’s great to have these sort of experiences and exposure to playing someone like Rafa on a big court like that.”

[3] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Quentin Halys (FRA)

There is a little extra on the line for World No. 4 Tsitsipas as he bids for his maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne. Should he lift the trophy, the 24-year-old will also rise to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time.

If that is to happen, though, Tsitsipas will have to start by defeating Quentin Halys for the first time in three attempts. Although they have never faced off in a tour-level match, Halys defeated the Greek in an ITF Futures match in 2014 and an ATP Challenger Tour match in 2018. The 26-year-old Frenchman Halys has other reasons to feel confident — he currently sits at a career-high No. 64 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and pushed Novak Djokovic to two tie-breaks in Adelaide two weeks ago, with the Serbian later saying Halys was playing ‘like a Top 10 opponent’.

Nonetheless, Tsitsipas will hope that the support of Melbourne’s considerable Greek community can spur him to another strong performance at an event where he reached the semi-finals in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

[6] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs. Vasek Pospisil (CAN)

A fifth tour-level meeting between Auger-Aliassime and his fellow Canadian Pospisil promises plenty of huge serving and forehand action on Kia Arena. The sixth-seeded Auger-Aliassime leads his countryman 3-1 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series, but the 32-year-old Pospisil triumphed in straight sets in their most recent meeting, in 2020 in Vienna.

Auger-Aliassime reached the quarter-finals for the first time in Melbourne a year ago before falling to Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller. That run kick-started a stellar season for the 22-year-old in which he won his first four ATP Tour titles and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. Can he bring his best to the big stage again against Pospisil on Monday?

[7] Daniil Medvedev vs. Marcos Giron (USA)

Medvedev will hope his clash with World No. 56 Giron is just the start of another strong run at Melbourne Park. The 26-year-old reached the championship match in 2021 and 2022, and despite falling just short of the title with defeats to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, respectively, Medvedev’s combination of big serving and outstanding defence is more than capable of powering another deep run.

The seventh seed won his only previous tour-level clash with Giron at the Western & Southern Open in 2020. The American is making his fourth consecutive Australian Open main draw appearance, but he is yet to reach the second round. He has posted some impressive results on Tour since last year’s visit to Melbourne, however, including reaching his first final in San Diego, and he arrives in Australia off the back of a quarter-final run in Auckland.

Also In Action…

A trio of home wild cards will seek to channel the support of the locals in their first-round matches on Monday. Jason Kubler was unbeaten for Team Australia at the recent United Cup, where he downed Daniel Evans and Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and the World No. 86 will look to build on that form against Sebastian Baez. John Millman takes on big-serving lefty Marc-Andrea Huesler, while Rinky Hijikata plays qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.

Fresh from guiding Team Poland on a run to the United Cup semi-finals alongside WTA World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz starts his Australian Open campaign against Spaniard Pedro Martinez. The Pole has never been past the second round in Melbourne, while 11th seed Cameron Norrie’s best previous run was a third-round showing in 2021. The Briton also takes to court on Monday against #NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche.

One man who has plenty of experience of going deep into the Melbourne draw is 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka. He takes on Alex Molcan in his first Australian Open match since 2021 after missing last year due to injury. The 2018 semi-finalist Kyle Edmund also makes his Melbourne Park comeback. The Briton last competed at the hard-court Slam in 2020, and he faces a daunting opening test in 15th seed and 2022 quarter-finalist Jannik Sinner.

Other seeded players in action Monday include Frances Tiafoe, who takes on Daniel Altmaier, Lorenzo Musetti, who meets Lloyd Harris, and Sebastian Korda, who starts against Cristian Garin.

When fans tuned into Break Point – Netflix’s groundbreaking new tennis series – for the first time following its release on Friday, they were greeted with an opening episode centered around Nick Kyrgios.

The first episode followed the 27-year-old’s progress at the 2022 Australian Open, focusing on his dramatic run to the doubles title alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis. Speaking about the Netflix series ahead of this year’s Australian Open, Kyrgios hopes and believes the show will be a success.

“It’s massive opportunity for my brand to get out there,” Kyrgios said when asked about the series. “It’s just so important for tennis. I think we’ve got so many great personalities, so many young personalities, and so many colourful athletes. Frances, Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, these guys are great tennis players and great people as well.

“I think when the big three kind of settle down and end up retiring, it’s so important that these guys are on showcase globally. Tennis is one of the most global sports in the world. We need it to be successful.”

Kyrgios will lead home hopes at the Australian Open in the next fortnight, starting his campaign against Roman Safiullin. With his focus on the first major of the season, the World No. 21 admitted that he has yet to watch Break Point.

However, Kyrgios is looking forward to tuning in over the coming weeks, admitting he was proud to be part of the series.

“I’m definitely a fun kid who grew up in a very quiet sort of town with my family. It’s obviously pretty cool to see how far I’ve come,” Kyrgios said. “But I think the later episodes as well, following me around Wimbledon, that type of stuff, will be super exciting.

“I’m just glad that tennis is on the map again. I think it’s one of the main talking points, one of the biggest sports right now, obviously with the Netflix documentary dropping.”

Magnus Norman is not just a former World No. 2, but one the most prominent coaches of this generation. The Swede helped guide Stan Wawrinka to three Grand Slam titles and No. 3 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

After time apart, Norman reunited with Wawrinka last year. ATPTour.com spoke with the Swede ahead of the Australian Open about Wawrinka’s epic series of matches against Novak Djokovic at Melbourne Park, helping the Swiss find his best form and more.

It’s been 10 years since Stan and Novak started a series of Australian Open matches. How fast has time flown since then?
It’s amazing, it feels like a couple years ago. You look back and you see that he turned pro in 2002, 20 years ago, time flies. You have to make the best of it every day, that’s what I tell the young players who are coming up and what Stan is telling the younger generation of Swiss players as well. You’re 16 or 17 then all of a sudden you’re 24 or 25. You need to make every day count.

Does Stan still play because he enjoys the game and wants to take advantage of these moments?
I definitely think so. He loves the training, the life, the preparing. He likes to play tennis and compete. He put so much effort in to try and come back after a tough couple years with injuries. It’s not easy to come back, you see a lot of guys struggling to find the level again. But Stan, within the last couple months has really been picking up and he’s at the level now where I see him [hit] the ball so well and he’s fit. That was the goal for the last couple years he has left, to try and compete and play at his best level.

When coming back to that level, is it more physical or mental?
In his case, I think both. First, physical having the foot injury, it took a lot of time. Then when you start playing tennis again, you’re happy you’re on the court but then you have to perform again. That’s when the mental part comes in. I admire his working habit every day, the work he puts in after so many years.

Is it almost more fun now to see him still working hard despite how much he’s already accomplished?
In one way, yes. It will never be the same as it was 10 years ago. Our personalities have changed. But in a way, yes it’s more enjoyable. He won three Grand Slams, Olympic gold, Davis Cup, amazing career. He basically won everything. From my point of view as a coach, I tell Stan he should play tennis when he wants to, when he feels good. Try to enjoy it as much as possible the last couple years, that’s my input to him.

What’s the next step for Stan to not just play well, but also compete at the biggest tournaments?
I think he has the tennis, fitness, and mentality in place. I’m happy with where he’s at now. He beat [Casper] Ruud in Basel last year, had match points against [Holger] Rune in Paris. Those guys are top players, so I think he has everything to beat the top guys. From the physical aspect, as you get older the recovery takes a bit longer so you have to keep that in mind, play and practice a little smarter.

What’s the biggest difference from when you first started with him?
He’s the same guy. He developed his game a lot, he can go to the net more, his returns are improving every month now. We said that at practice the other day, that he feels more comfortable hitting the returns instead of blocking it. He has more variety in his game. He’s been moving so well the past couple years.

What do you remember from that match against Novak in 2013?
Stan’s shot-making abilities. He could play winners from basically anywhere in the court, from both forehand and backhand, whether he was far back or inside the court. That he could go head-to-head with the top players, like Novak, from the back of the court. That’s what I remember from that match. When we started working together, he was a good player and so we spoke about how to not only play good and to compete against those guys, but to win against those guys.

What was the key?
Try to use his physical abilities a little bit more. Even if he was going to be a shotmaker, try to play the bigger points with more margins. Trust his fitness to play longer rallies. Small things like that made a big difference in the end.

How much has his fitness played a role in why he’s still finding success?
It’s a big reason for sure. He worked with Pierre Paganini for so many years and it’s paid off. A couple of good training blocks a year, he doesn’t overtrain.

Are you still impressed with the shotmaking talent he has?
For sure. It’s going to be tough to coach anybody after him. The way he plays and practices, he would never say no to practising. If I say ten more forehands, he says okay let’s do it.

What’s the craziest Stan work ethic story?
I remember the first couple years when we had some training blocks together. Most of the time we’d start with fitness and then fitness and tennis together. Towards the end of the block, we’d focus more on just tennis. I will always remember those key sessions with Stan and Pierre where we did a couple hours of fitness and then straight to tennis.

What is a success to you at this point?
First of all, he still enjoys practising and competing. Also that’s he injury-free. Him being happy and he likes to play tournaments.

Three players have something more than just the opening Grand Slam crown of the year to play for at the 2023 Australian Open. Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas all start their campaigns knowing they will become the new No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by lifting the trophy in Melbourne.

World No. 3 Ruud can also claim top spot by reaching the final, as long as neither Djokovic nor Tsitsipas wins the title. If none of those scenarios play out, the reign of current World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, not playing in Melbourne due to injury, will continue.

World No. 5 Djokovic arrives in Melbourne as one of the title favourites. He has won a record nine Australian Open titles, owns an 82-8 tournament record, and began his 2023 season in impressive fashion by lifting his 92nd tour-level trophy at the Adelaide International 1. He can return to World No. 1 for the first time since 6 June by winning his record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title in Melbourne.

The 35-year-old Serbian also has past experience on his side when it comes to battling for the top ranking. The seven-time year-end No. 1 has spent 373 weeks as World No. 1 across his career, longer than anyone else in history.

The No. 3-ranked Ruud is chasing his maiden Grand Slam crown in Melbourne and achieving the feat would give the Norwegian double cause for celebration. He would become the first Norwegian World No. 1 at the age of 24, having already become the first ATP Tour titlist, Nitto ATP Finals competitor, and Grand Slam finalist from his country.

Should both Djokovic and Tsitsipas fall before the final in Melbourne, Ruud can seal top spot by reaching the championship match. He made that stage twice at Grand Slams in 2022, at Roland Garros and the US Open, where he was beaten by Alcaraz in what was a straight shoot-out to become World No. 1. Ruud’s current best showing at the Australian Open is a fourth-round appearance in 2021.

Like Ruud, Tsitsipas is aiming for his maiden major crown and to become World No. 1 for the first time. The World No. 4 can count on vocal crowd support in Melbourne, which is home to a large Greek community, and his record there suggests the 24-year-old relishes the vibrant atmosphere. Tsitsipas reached the semi-finals in 2019, 2021 and 2022, and holds a 15-5 tournament record overall.

The nine-time ATP Tour titlist Tsitsipas must win the title in Melbourne to become World No. 1. The closest he has come to victory at a Grand Slam was at Roland Garros in 2021, when he fell to Djokovic in a five-set thriller.

Following a thrilling start to the 2023 season, which saw Team United States win the inaugural United Cup, the world’s best players will now descend on Melbourne for the Australian Open.

ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year.

View Singles Draw

1) Reigning Champion Nadal: One year ago, Rafael Nadal captured his second Australian Open title when he rallied from two-sets-to-love down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in an epic final. The top-seeded Spaniard returns to Melbourne this week aiming to clinch a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam crown.

Having started the season with defeats against Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie and Australian Alex de Minaur at the United Cup, the World No. 2 will be aiming to earn his first victory of the season when he plays #NextGenATP Briton Jack Draper in a tough opening encounter.

2) Djokovic Imperious In Australia: Novak Djokovic has not lost on Australian soil since 2018, when he fell against Hyeon Chung in the fourth round at the first major of the year. The Serbian is chasing a record-extending 10th Australian Open title and record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam and arrives at the event in strong form, having lifted his 92nd tour-level title at an ATP 250 in Adelaide last week. The fourth seed, who is in the opposite half of the draw to Nadal, opens against Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.

3) Battle For World No. 1: Djokovic, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas all start their campaigns knowing they will become the new No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by lifting the trophy in Melbourne. World No. 3 Ruud can also claim top spot by reaching the final, as long as neither Djokovic nor Tsitsipas wins the title. If none of those scenarios play out, the reign of current World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, not playing in Melbourne due to injury, will remain.

Ruud, who reached Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and the US Open last year, reached the fourth round in Melbourne in 2021. Tsitsipas is a three-time semi-finalist at the major, holding a 15-5 record.

4) Can Medvedev Go One Step Further? Daniil Medvedev will be hoping it is third time lucky when he takes to court in Melbourne. The 26-year-old has produced his best at the major in recent years, falling in the final against Djokovic in 2021 and Nadal in 2022. Having reached the semi-finals in Adelaide last week, Medvedev will be aiming to build on that run at the Australian Open and clinch his second Grand Slam crown. The 2021 US Open titlist plays American Marcos Giron in the first round.

5) Fritz & Norrie In Form: Taylor Fritz and Cameron Norrie arrive in Melbourne in red-hot form. The eighth seed Fritz holds a 4-1 record on the season, having guided Team United States to the United Cup title in Sydney. The 11th seed Norrie, who defeated Fritz at the United Cup, is 6-1 in 2023, having reached the final in Auckland.

Although neither has advanced past the fourth round in Melbourne, confidence will be high that they can enjoy deep runs over the next fortnight. Fritz plays Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round and Norrie takes on #NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche.

6) Kyrgios Leads Home Hopes: The 19th seed Nick Kyrgios enjoyed an impressive 2022, reaching his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon and winning a tour-level crown in Washington. The 27-year-old’s best result in nine previous main draw appearances at the Australian Open came in 2015, when he reached the quarter-finals. He will be aiming to better that run this year, starting against Roman Safiullin. There are 11 Australian men in the draw, with Alex de Minaur, the 22nd seed, in the same half as Kyrgios.

7) Top 10 Threats: Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz will all aim to win their maiden Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open this week. The fifth seed Rublev reached the quarter-finals in 2021 but has a tough opening assignment against 2020 finalist Dominic Thiem. The sixth seed Auger-Aliassime enjoyed a career-best season last year, winning four tour-level trophies. He will aim to make a fast start in 2023 when he plays countryman Vasek Pospisil.

The 10th seed Hurkacz, who earned two wins at the United Cup for Team Poland, has never been beyond the second round in four previous appearances in Melbourne. The 25-year-old starts against Pedro Martinez.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP WTA Live
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

8) First-Round Popcorn Clashes: Fans will be treated to a host of blockbuster first-round matches at Melbourne Park, with Matteo Berrettini’s clash against former World No. 1 Andy Murray a highlight. The five-time finalist Murray will be aiming to earn Grand Slam revenge against the 13th-seeded Italian, having lost against Berrettini at the US Open in September.

Rublev will take a 4-2 ATP Heaed2Head series lead into his first-round clash against Thiem, while Nadal will need to be at his best if he is to overcome British lefty Draper on Rod Laver Arena. Home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis will try to extend his perfect 2-0 record in his matchup against Fabio Fognini.

The 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Jiri Lehecka will look to build on his victory against the returning Alexander Zverev at the United Cup when he takes on 21st seed Borna Coric.

9) #NextGenATP Stars In Action: Holger Rune is one of the brightest emerging talents in the game, evidenced by his title run at the Rolex Paris Masters in November. The 19-year-old is the ninth seed and plays Filip Krajinovic in his opening match.

The 17th-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who won two tour-level titles last season, plays Lloyd Harris, while 17-year-old Chinese qualifier Juncheng Shang will meet German Oscar Otte. American Ben Shelton burst onto Tour when he reached the third round in Cincinnati last season. The 20-year-old meets Zhizhen Zhang in his opening match.

10) Koolhof/Skupski Lead Doubles Field: Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski won seven tour-level titles as a team in 2022 and will look to add to their trophy haul when they lead the doubles field as the top seeds.

The Dutch-British tandem will face stiff competition from 2020 champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer and fourth seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.

Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios soared to the title in 2022, enjoying a fairytale run on home soil. The Australians will team again this year in Melbourne.

It was a historic 2022 for Chinese men’s tennis, and the country’s stars are showing no signs of slowing down. When Shang Juncheng qualified for the Australian Open on Friday, the 17-year-old ensured more national history would be made.

Shang, Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen are the first male Chinese trio to compete in a Grand Slam men’s singles draw in the Open Era (since 1968) and the first in all of Australian Open history (since 1905).

“Those two are inspirations for me. They’re like older brothers and I think they’re doing really well for Chinese men’s tennis,” Shang told ATPTour.com. “They’ve inspired me a lot and they’ve been on the Tour longer than me, so it’s always good experience practising with them, talking to them, and I wish them all the best for this upcoming Australian Open.”

In September 2021, Shang had yet to earn a Pepperstone ATP Ranking point. Now the Chinese star is inside the world’s Top 200. ‘Jerry’ is the youngest Grand Slam men’s qualifier since 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz at the 2021 Australian Open.

“I’m super excited to be here and I don’t think it’s a surprise for me. It’s obviously not in the calendar that I’ll be playing the main draw of the Australian Open when I’m 17 years old,” said Shang, who is being coached by Dante Bottini, the former coach of Kei Nishikori and Grigor Dimitrov. “I’m just very excited for this opportunity to be able to play qualifying and have the chance to qualify. I’m very excited for what’s coming next.”

^{Shang Juncheng and his team at practice in Melbourne. Photo Credit: Dante Bottini}
The teen, who claimed his first ATP Challenger Tour title last year, is happy with his accomplishment, but eager to continue his climb.

“For me right now everything is about learning. I’m just trying to enjoy every moment on the court,” Shang said. “Every point is an opportunity for me to improve, so I just hope I can try my best and do my best to win.”

While Shang successfully qualified for a major on his first attempt, Wu and Zhang both competed in last year’s US Open main draw. Wu is happy to see his countrymen in the field.

“I think they also have their chances. Little Jerry had a very good round in qualies here in Australia and hopefully he can keep going and show the world how Chinese young men are,” Wu said. “And for Zhizhen, we have known each other for a long time and he’s got his weapons, but his opponent is not an easy one… it’s going to be a great match and hopefully these guys can enjoy playing here.”

Zhang, who last year became the first Chinese man to crack the world’s Top 100, will play in the Australian Open main draw for the first time and try to secure his maiden victory at a Grand Slam.

“I wish I can win the first round and try to break my Grand Slam first win and also wish the other two good luck,” he said.

First-Round Matchups

– Juncheng Shang vs. Oscar Otte

– Zhang Zhizhen vs. Ben Shelton

– Wu Yibing vs. Corentin Moutet