Ben Shelton’s Return to the Court
In Shanghai, American tennis player Ben Shelton faced a challenging second-round match at the Shanghai Masters, marking his return to the court after five weeks sidelined by a left shoulder injury sustained during the US Open. The sixth seed fell to Belgium’s David Goffin, who delivered a solid performance winning 6-2, 6-4. Goffin capitalized on a break of serve shortly after play resumed following a brief rain delay, securing his victory over Shelton.
Aspirations for the ATP Finals
Prior to the match, Shelton expressed his aspirations of qualifying for the ATP Finals set to take place in Turin, Italy, starting November 9. Currently ranked sixth in the race to Turin, he had hoped to enhance his standings with a strong showing in Shanghai. However, this defeat complicates his goal of reaching the finals, which accommodates only the top eight players.
“It’s the first time that I’ve put myself in a good position, at this point in the year, to make Turin,” Shelton stated in an interview with the ATP Tour earlier this week.
He emphasized the importance of achieving favorable results in his remaining matches to fulfill his ambitions.
Other Tournament Results
In other results from the tournament, Frances Tiafoe, seeded 25th, also exited in the second round, losing to Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann in a closely contested match that ended 6-7 (9), 6-2, 6-1. The tournament’s top seeds, including the fourth-ranked Novak Djokovic and fifth-seeded Taylor Fritz, received first-round byes and were scheduled to compete later that day. Jannik Sinner, freshly crowned champion from the China Open in Beijing, awaits his match on Saturday, while top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz opted out of the event due to minor health complaints following his victory in the Japan Open final.
