Ben Shelton had a chance to find himself at the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin, and while it was a small chance, it went after his most recent exit at the Paris Masters.
After Ben Shelton produced a sensational effort at the Shanghai Masters, where he advanced to the quarter-final, many people wondered how far he could push himself until the end of the year.
He's a very good fit indoors, so people assumed that he would finish the year strongly, and they were right. He was amazing in Tokyo, besting everybody en route to the maiden ATP 500 trophy that gave him 500 points.
That put him within striking distance of the ATP Finals in Turin; however, he needed an amazing run to do it. An early exit in Vienna diminished his chances severely, and they're all but gone with his most recent loss at the Paris Masters.
Shelton took on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a match many expected him to win, but ultimately, he didn't get it done, leaving himself without any chances for the ATP Finals.
He now has 2285 points, which is more than 1000 points away from Holger Rune, who is currently 8th. There is no chance for him to gather so many points next week because next week only features 250 events.
He was supposed to play in Sofia but likely won't in to rest up before it's time to fly to Suadi Arabia for the ATP Next Gen Finals. That event will be a very good way for him to finish off an amazing year where he basically improved to a Top 15 player.
That's pretty good for a player who only broke into the Top 100 at the end of last year. He impressed among the pros and showed himself to be one of the best on Tour. Next year will be exciting, possibly with the ATP Finals qualification.
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