Ben Shelton rose to the occasion in the absence of Novak Djokovic, powering into his third Australian Open quarter-final with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Casper Ruud on Monday night.

Djokovic had been expected to headline the late session at Rod Laver Arena but advanced by walkover after his fourth-round opponent, Jakub Mensik, withdrew through injury. That opened the door for American eighth seed Shelton to take centre stage, and he responded with a spirited, crowd-pleasing performance against 12th-seeded Ruud.

After a slow start that saw him drop the opening set, Shelton found his rhythm and gradually took control of the contest, showcasing his power and resilience to turn the match in his favour.

With fans initially disappointed by Djokovic’s absence, chants of “Go Novak” echoed around the arena. Shelton, however, embraced the atmosphere and remained unfazed.

“For me, atmosphere is everything, so thank you for staying out here,” Shelton said on court. “I know you were probably looking forward to seeing Novak tonight — I could hear it — but I hope we didn’t disappoint you.”

The 21-year-old impressed with his serving throughout the match, firing 14 aces and unleashing a blistering 228 km/h delivery as he closed out victory.

Shelton will now face two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals, with a place in the last four at stake. The American faces a daunting challenge, having lost his last eight meetings with the Italian, including their semi-final clash at Melbourne Park last year.

To overcome Sinner, Shelton may need to produce a performance reminiscent of Djokovic’s dominant 2023 run — but his latest display suggests he is ready for the challenge.