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

This marked the second grand slam semifinal appearance for Shelton, who was born and raised in Atlanta until his father took at job at University of Florida.