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Ben Shelton, in his first appearance in Shanghai, knocked off Jannik Sinner in a nail-biting three-set battle 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Shanghai Masters on Tuesday, October 10. This victory for the American is a feather in his cap, marking his maiden ATP quarterfinal and his inaugural ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal as well.
Hot on the heels of his triumph in Beijing, where he dismantled the 2023 US Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev without dropping a set, Shelton continued from where he left off beating Jannik Sinner.
After Sinner claimed the opening game rather easily, Ben Shelton mounted a brilliant comeback and snatched the second set. The third set proved to be a real fight with the 21-year-old eventually claiming it in a tie-breaker to move into the quarterfinals of the 2023 Shanghai Masters.
Ben Shelton will square off against compatriot Sebastian Korda who beat Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in two sets 7-5, 7-6 (6), earlier on Tuesday.
The match between Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton had fans buzzing on X (formerly Twitter). One of the fans thought the American young gun was getting a bad rap for his swagger and faith in himself.
“Shelton d. Sinner 2-6 6-3 7-6 Ben becomes the 1st man to beat Jannik in China 1st Masters QF, 2nd top 5 win, Snaps Jannik’s 7 match win streak. People like to mistake his confidence for arrogance, He wouldn’t have won this if he didn’t believe in himself the way he does,” a fan elaborated.
Another fan called Ben Shelton “a superstar”.
“This kid is a superstar I’m telling you.”
One of Shelton's supporters said that people were mean to him but he is just a kid.
“People r so mean to ben but i just think he’s so babygirl”, a twitter user posted.
Here are a few more recactions:
“I don’t know where I want to be in the rankings; I am not thinking about that as much”- Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton is shooting for the stars on the ATP Tour, but he is focused on leveling up as a player.
The American made it to the final stretch at the US Open, securing a place in the Top 20. However, it is not something that occupies his mind too often. He revealed his state of mind during the most recent episode of the ATP Radio Podcast.
“I try to compartmentalize and not think about those things as much. Obviously, being in the Top 20 is something that's new to me. I'm really looking forward to being able to moving forward have an impact and continue to improve and make my mark again,” Shelton mentioned.
“I think that whenever I try to put a number that I'm trying to reach, it's almost like putting a ceiling on myself or a limit. I, I don't know where I want to be in the rankings. I'm not thinking about that as much. A goal for me is showing up to tournaments and competing for titles. So if I can get to the place where week in, week out I'm in the running for winning titles, that's something that that I'll be pleased with,” he said.
