Three-phase matrix-based ac-dc power conversion has recently gained popularity, considering its higher conversion efficiency and power density compared to the conventional two stage solutions. In the literature, several modulation strategies have demonstrated improved total harmonic distortion (THD) of the ac current in the matrix converters through independent control of the anti-series combination of active devices that form a matrix switch (i.e., two gate drivers per matrix switch). In this article, a matrix-based ac-dc power converter that utilizes only one gate driver per matrix switch is proposed without compromising the quality of ac current. Managing energy stored in high-frequency (HF) transformer's leakage inductor is an issue while utilizing single driver per matrix switch. An additional short-circuit (SC) leg is proposed to circulate stored energy in the leakage inductance during zero vector periods of the proposed converter, thereby ensuring continuous path for the leakage inductor's energy flow. Steady-state analysis of the proposed ac-dc converter along with its loss modeling is presented with necessary mathematical expressions. The presented analysis and design of the proposed converter are experimentally validated on a 2 kW hardware prototype in the laboratory environment. A pertinent comparison of the proposed matrix-based conversion methodology with the conventional matrix-based conversion strategy is also provided. © 2013 IEEE.