Ben Shelton shocked Jannik Sinner in the fourth round of the 2023 Shanghai Masters, recording one of the best wins in his career.
The fourth-round match between the two youngsters was one of the most anticipated at the ATP 1000 event in Shanghai. The two never met before, and going into the match, Sinner was on a seven-match win streak thanks to his China Open triumph.
Like matches between the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, and Sebastian Korda, the two youngsters are also part of the upcoming generation of players that delivers stunning performances week in week out.
But in the first set of this match, it was more of a one-way traffic rather than a spectacular matchup. The Italian started with a break of serve in the opening game, and after adding one more in game number seven, and never facing and break points, Sinner won the opening set comfortably 6-2.
Yet, the young American was about to fight back. He was the one to create more break point chances in the second set, with his opponent not having a single chance to break. Using one of his break points in the fourth game, Shelton moved up in the second set, eventually winning it 6-3.
The third set of the match would prove to be a real fight and the epic that everyone waited for. First, Shelton had five break points in the opening game, but he couldn't use any.
Then, the American had one more chance, which went unused, before Sinner could break twice. But the Italian also missed both of his chances, only to present his opponent with another two break points.
After a total of ten unused break points, the third set had to be decided in a tie-break, and it was a tie-break of streaks. First, the American sprinted into a two-mini-break 4-0 lead.
But he lost the following five points, as Sinner overcame the deficit and led 5-4. But that wasn't enough from the Italian as Shelton found two massive serves and one big return to win the last three points of the match, winning 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), reaching the 2023 Shanghai Masters quarterfinals on his debut.
Up next, the youngster will meet fellow compatriot, Sebastian Korda, who defeated Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo earlier on the day.
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