Ben Shelton falls to David Goffin at the Shanghai Masters
Shanghai – In an unexpected defeat, Ben Shelton, seeded number six, was surpassed by David Goffin in the second round of the Shanghai Masters. The match, which took place on Friday, ended with a score of 6-2, 6-4 in favor of Goffin. Shelton, who had not competed since suffering a left shoulder injury at the US Open, watched Goffin break his serve shortly after the game resumed following a brief rain delay. Before the match, Shelton had expressed his hope of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, which will begin on November 9, despite the five weeks of inactivity. Currently, Shelton is in sixth place in the points race for Turin, where the top eight will compete.In another second-round match, Frances Tiafoe, seeded number 25, was defeated by Yannick Hanfmann of Germany with a score of 6-7 (9), 6-2, 6-1. The highest-ranked players in Shanghai received byes in the first round. Novak Djokovic, number 4, and Taylor Fritz, seeded number five, were scheduled to play later on Friday. Jannik Sinner, winner of the China Open final in Beijing on Wednesday, was not scheduled to play until Saturday. Carlos Alcaraz, world number one, who defeated Fritz in the Japan Open final, announced after his victory in Tokyo that he would not play in Shanghai due to some minor discomfort.It’s the first time I’m in a good position, at this point in the year, to reach Turin. Hopefully, I’ll get a couple more good results and cross the line.
Ben Shelton
