MELBOURNE, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Ben Shelton said ‌it was only a matter of time before he sharpens the final edges ‌of his game, insisting he is closing in on the sport's elite despite a ‌straight-sets defeat by Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday.

The American eighth seed was overpowered 6-3 6-4 6-4 by the two-times defending champion.

"I'm getting better and better and becoming a lot less limited," the 23-year-old Shelton ‍told reporters. "This game takes time, and the results don't always ‍come when you want them.