Ben Shelton Makes ‘Outplayed’ Admission After Shock Defeat in Shanghai

Ben Shelton did not have match practice on the Asian swing before he started his campaign at the Shanghai Masters. He withdrew from the Japan Open because the US Open as well as the Davis Cup took a toll on his body.

In his home Slam, Shelton reached a Major final for the first time in his career. But he suffered a four-set defeat at the hands of Alexander Zverev. He lost both his singles matches at the Davis Cup.

He ended his losing streak in Shanghai with a straight-set victory over Daniel Altmaier in the opening round, but he couldn’t repeat the same result against Arthur Gea in the third round, losing with a 7-6(5), 7-6(3) scoreline.

I got outplayed today. The guy played better than me. A hundred percent, I would have liked to have come over here earlier and be prepared, and have already dealt with the jet lag by the time I was playing here in the Shanghai Masters.

Ben Shelton said at the press conference (H/T: ATPTour.com)

It was Shelton’s first time meeting Gea. Except for the Canadian Open, the 24-year-old suffered early defeats in the other Masters 1000s he has played this season. In Montreal, Shelton beat Brandon Nakashima in the final and defended his title. It was his second Masters 1000 title.

I thought he handled my serve outstandingly. I thought he did a great job on return today [from] start to finish. He put it a lot in play. He was putting them deep to the baseline. It was tough to attack. There were hardly any — as the match went on — points where I was getting easy free points or first balls to attack and come to the net on, so a lot of credit to him.

Ben Shelton added

Although Shelton lost his third-round match, he has already taken home four titles so far this season. Apart from the Canadian Open, he won the Dallas Open and the Stuttgart Open by beating Taylor Fritz and the BMW Open by beating Flavio Cobolli.

He is next scheduled to play the ATP 500 event in Basel, which starts on October 26. Joao Fonseca is the reigning champion (beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina last year). But the Brazilian ace hasn’t competed since he suffered an abdominal injury at the Cincinnati Masters.

Arthur Gea reacts after defeating Ben Shelton

Arthur Gea registered his first top-10 win of his career by defeating World No.4 Ben Shelton. He is competing in a Masters 1000 main draw for the first time.

The 21-year-old made his Masters 1000 qualifying debut at the Madrid Open this year and lost his first match. In Shanghai, before upsetting Shelton, Gea eliminated Jaime Faria and Ugo Humbert in the previous rounds.

It was an amazing match. I played really amazing. He also played good, I think. It was really tough, but I fought until the end, and it was a really good match, yeah. I was just ready on each serve to put it back, all the time doing one more shot every point, and that was the key today. I’m practicing hard every day since the beginning of the year to win against those guys.

Arthur Gea said at the press conference (H/T: The Tennis Gazette)

Shelton reached his first career Masters 1000 quarterfinal on his debut in Shanghai in 2023. He failed to reach the last eight on his next three appearances.

Gea will next be locking horns with Jakub Mensik, who clinched a three-set win over Francisco Cerundolo. The winner of this match will face Hubert Hurkacz, Frances Tiafoe, or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the fourth round.

Also read: Ben Shelton’s Girlfriend Trinity Rodman Recalls ‘Splurging’ on Private Jet to Watch Him Lose US Open Final