Ben Shelton is flying high at the Australian Open, where he is the last remaining American male player.

Shelton is the new number seven in the ATP Tour rankings, which is two places off his career-high rank of five.

But his main focus right now is undoubtedly the Australian Open, where he takes on Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.

Sinner beat Shelton en route to the 2025 title in Melbourne, and boasts an 8-1 head-to-head record against his rival.

Ben Shelton names three American players with a lot of ‘swag’

Shelton has, however, exuded a real confidence at the Grand Slam, which has been noticed by former player Jim Courier.

Interviewing his compatriot after his win over Casper Ruud, Courier said: “I’m sort of developing my own rankings for who has the most swagger when they’re walking around down there.

“You’re not number one, Novak [Djokovic] is number one, he’s kind of the GOAT. But I’ve got you in with [Lorenzo] Musetti. You guys might be two and three. You guys walk with a lot of confidence.

“Who am I missing? Is Big Foe (Frances Tiafoe) in the mix? Who’s got the most swagger walking around?”

Laughing, Shelton responded: “I think Carlos Alcaraz has got a little bit of swag, you might have missed that one.

“I think Tommy Paul’s got the quiet swag. And I don’t know, from what I’m seeing so far from Learner Tien, he might be moving up that list real quick.

“Definitely a lot of others that I’ve missed, but I think I’ve got to put one girl in there, 100%. Coco Gauff. She’s got swag.”

Coco Gauff among six Americans to reach Australian Open quarterfinals

Shelton was spot on with his analysis, particularly regarding the composed nature of ATP number one Alcaraz.

But his fellow Americans Paul, Tien and Gauff are also high on the list, although they are all now out of the Australian Open.

Paul lost to Alcaraz in round four, while Tien’s dream run has just been ended by Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Gauff has just suffered the biggest shock of that group, losing her quarterfinal to Elina Svitolina 6-1, 6-2.

But she was part of a hugely impressive group of American women who have been shining brightly in Melbourne.

Four such players reached the quarterfinals, with Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula set to meet shortly following the recent exits of Gauff and Iva Jovic.

And there were joined by Tien and Shelton in the men’s draw, meaning six American players reached the singles quarterfinals.

READ MORE:Iga Swiatek states the big difference between men’s and women’s tennis