Shelton falls in Shanghai after injury: Goffin stops his path to Turin

Ben Shelton falls to David Goffin at the Shanghai Masters

Shanghai – In a day full of surprises at the Shanghai Masters, the sixth seed, Ben Shelton, suffered a defeat against David Goffin in the second round of the tournament. Shelton, who had not competed since his left shoulder injury during the US Open, was surpassed by Goffin with a score of 6-2, 6-4. The match was briefly interrupted by rain, but upon resuming, Goffin managed to break Shelton’s serve, scoring a crucial point in the match. 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 occupies sixth place in the race for Turin, where the eight best players will compete. However, this defeat could affect his aspirations.

It’s the first time I’m in a good position, at this point in the year, to reach Turin. I hope to get some more good results and cross the line.

Ben Shelton

In another second-round match, American Frances Tiafoe, seeded number 25, also suffered a defeat against German Yannick Hanfmann, 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, number 5, were scheduled to play later on Friday. Jannik Sinner, who won the China Open final in Beijing on Wednesday, was not scheduled to play until Saturday. Carlos Alcaraz, the world number one, who defeated Fritz in the Japan Open final, announced after his victory in Tokyo that he would not participate in Shanghai due to some minor discomfort.