Ben Shelton entered the Australian Open as the No. 20 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. With two more wins, the American would make a jaw-dropping surge.
The big-serving lefty can climb as high as No. 5 with a title at Melbourne Park, according to the PIF ATP Live Rankings. It would be a stunning ascent for a player who has never previously been higher than World No. 13.
If Shelton lifts his first major trophy on Sunday, he would at minimum ascend to World No. 6. If he captures the crown and Novak Djokovic loses in his semi-final to Alexander Zverev, Shelton would rocket to World No. 5.
PIF ATP Live Rankings (entering SF)
| Player | Live Pts/Max Pts | Player | Live Pts/Max Pts |
| 1) Jannik Sinner | 10,630/11,830 | 8) Alex de Minaur | 3,735/- |
| 2) Alexander Zverev | 7,635/8.835 | 9) Tommy Paul | 3,495/- |
| 3) Carlos Alcaraz | 7,010/- | 10) Andrey Rublev | 3,130/- |
| 4) Taylor Fritz | 5,050 /- | 11) Grigor Dimitrov | 3,110/- |
| 5) Casper Ruud | 4,160/- | 12) Holger Rune | 3,060/- |
| 6) Novak Djokovic | 3,900/5,100 | 13) Stefanos Tsitsipas | 3,005/- |
| 7) Daniil Medvedev | 3,780/- | 14) Ben Shelton | 2,980/4,180 |
At live No. 14, the former college tennis star is already close to his career high. He would move to No. 10 just by making the final.
If Shelton climbs into the Top 10, joining countrymen Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, it would mark the first time three Americans have been in the Top 10 since the week of 17 April 2006. That week, Andy Roddick was No. 4, James Blake No. 7 and Andre Agassi No. 10.
Djokovic began the Australian Open as World No. 7, his lowest standing since he was No. 8 in November 2022. But the Serbian would return to the Top 5 by making the final and surge to No. 4 by claiming his 11th trophy at Melbourne Park.
The 37-year-old is the oldest player in the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Live Rankings by nearly a decade. Live No. 7 Daniil Medvedev is the second-oldest player in the group at 28.
World No. 1 Sinner can depart Australia with a 4,195-point lead over World No. 2 Zverev, the same advantage he started the season's first major with. That would be a win for the Italian given he entered the tournament defending the maximum 2,000 points as last year's champion.
If Zverev wins the title and the Italian loses in the semi-finals, the German would still be 1,795 points behind the World No. 1. However, the World No. 2 only has 100 points to defend until Indian Wells compared to 500 for Sinner, giving him more opportunity to move closer to the top spot.
Paul, who lost in the quarter-finals to Zverev, is guaranteed to break into the Top 10 for the first time on Monday. The American will be World No. 9 unless Shelton wins the title.
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