Shelton loses in Shanghai Masters opener, misses chance to push ATP Tour Final claim

Shanghai, Oct 3 (IANS) Ben Shelton lost to former World No. 7 David Goffin in the second round at the Shanghai Masters 2-6, 4-6 on Friday and missed the opportunity to boost his ATP Tour Final hopes on his return to the tour on Friday.

Shelton, who was competing for the first time since he was forced to retire during the third round at the US Open in August due to a left shoulder injury, was slightly off the pace, committing 22 unforced errors to 11 from Goffin, who beat Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami earlier this year.

Goffin saved all three break points he faced against Shelton and leads the sixth seed 2-0 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series. The 34-year-old, who is a two-time Shanghai quarterfinalist, plays Gabriel Diallo in the third round on Sunday.

Shelton,22, who won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title on the surface in Toronto and also reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open, owns a 37-19 tour-level record in 2025. He arrived in Shanghai sixth in the ATP Live Race To Turin on 3,720 points and in a good spot to make his debut at the ATP Finals in November, according to ATP Tour.

However, the American could now be surpassed by seventh-placed Alex de Minaur (3,355) and eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti (3,345) in the coming days. Shelton is currently 1,005 points ahead of 10th-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is the first player outside the Top 8 cut, with ninth-placed Jack Draper sidelined for the rest of the year due to injury.

Auger-Aliassime plays Chengdu champion Alejandro Tabilo in his Shanghai opener. He just needs one win in Shanghai to reach the 250 career-wins milestone, according to the ATP Win/Loss index. He is 34-19 on the year, his best mark since his breakout 2022 season when his 60 victories led to his debut at the ATP Finals.

--IANS

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