ORLANDO, November 8, 2022 (USTA Press Release)

Ben Shelton’s meteoric rise could very well land him a spot in the main draw of the Australian Open in January, as the 20-year-old reigning NCAA singles champion shot to the lead of the Australian Open Wild Card Challenge with his latest triumph.

The former Florida Gator won his first ATP Challenger title in Charlottesville, Va., last week, which saw him rise to a career-high ranking of No. 128. The top 5 in the Men’s Challenge standings (rankings in parentheses) after Week 2 of 4 are as follows:

1. Ben Shelton (No. 128) — 87

2. Tennys Sandgren (No. 288) — 84

3. Stefan Kozlov (No. 159) — 57

4. Chris Eubanks (No. 120) — 50

5. Two players tied at 30

The men’s wild card will be awarded to the American with the most points earned from a max of three events during the four-week window. All indoor and outdoor hard-court and carpet events at the 25 level and above, including ATP and Challenger events, will be included in the Challenge. Should the Challenge winner gain automatic entry into Melbourne, the wild card will go to the next-highest eligible points earner in the standings.