Shelton and Korda fail to reach finals at Australian Open tune-up events

Shelton, who made a strong impact last year by reaching the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park and the semi-finals at the US Open, was aiming to reach his second career final. However, he faced a setback against Taro Daniel (ranked 30th) at the Auckland Classic.

Daniel, currently ranked 74th in the world, defeated Shelton 7-5, 7-6, marking his fifth victory over a top 20 opponent. The Japanese player will now face Alejandro Tabilo (ranked 26th) in his first tour final since Istanbul in 2018.

Tabilo secured his spot in the final by defeating Arthur Fils (ranked 19th) with a score of 6-2, 7-5.

Daniel commented on his match against Shelton, stating, "It's always challenging to play against Ben because he disrupts your rhythm. The ball has a lot of life, and it becomes a battle of who can apply more pressure. The tie-break was particularly intense."

Meanwhile, at the Adelaide International, Jiri Lehecka (ranked 32nd) dominated over Korda (ranked 29th) with a score of 6-2, 6-1. Lehecka will now face Jack Draper (ranked 62nd) in the title clash.

Draper, who had already eliminated top seed Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals, continued his impressive run by defeating Alexander Bublik 7-6, 6-4 to secure his place in the final.

This marks Draper's second ATP final appearance, following his loss to second seed Adrian Mannarino at the Sofia Open in November.

In the Adelaide women's draw, former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko (ranked 26th) further built her momentum for the upcoming Australian Open. She defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova (ranked 29th) with a score of 6-2, 7-6 in the semi-finals.

Ostapenko is set to face Daria Kasatkina (26) in the final match, as her semi-final opponent, Jessica Pegula (29), had to withdraw due to a gastrointestinal illness.

Expressing her disappointment, Pegula stated, "Regrettably, I woke up feeling unwell. I truly wish I could have competed tonight."

At the Hobart International, the final will witness a clash between the top two seeds. American second seed Emma Navarro (22) secured her spot after defeating China's Yuan Yue (25) with a score of 6-4, 6-3 in the semi-final held on Friday. Meanwhile, top seed Elise Mertens (28) from Belgium triumphed over Australia's Daria Saville (29) in a challenging match that ended with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.