Ben Shelton Falls in Third Round of Shanghai Masters

According to the Associated Press, U.S. Open finalist Ben Shelton was eliminated in the third round of the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters, losing 7-6, 7-6 to 21-year-old Frenchman Arthur Gea. Shelton faced three match points at 6-3 in the second-set tiebreak before Gea converted the first opportunity.

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The tournament opened with Shelton celebrating his 24th birthday by defeating Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 7-6. The win marked his first match victory in Shanghai and came on the day of his birthday, as reported by the Associated Press.

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• Top seeds: Alexander Zverev, the U.S. Open champion, was scheduled for a night match against Frenchman Quentin Halys.

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• Other third-round results: Ninth-seeded Alex de Minaur beat Japan’s Rei Sakamoto 7-6, 6-4; 26th-seeded Karen Khachanov defeated France’s Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-4.

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• Withdrawals: No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner withdrew from the event after announcing he would sit out the remainder of 2026 due to a right-knee injury, also reported by the Associated Press.

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• Match scores: Shelton 7-6, 7-6 loss; Gea’s first-set tiebreak 7-5, second-set tiebreak 7-3.

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• Ages: Shelton, 24; Gea, 21.

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• Seedings: Shelton entered unseeded; Gea was unseeded.

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Novak Djokovic, who suffered a second-round defeat to Hubert Hurkacz in Shanghai, said his early exit was “ok” and that he was pleased with his recent performance in Beijing. He added that he planned to rest before the indoor season, a sentiment conveyed in his post-match remarks to the Associated Press.

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• “Beijing was great and a very early exit here but it is ok,” — Novak Djokovic, tennis player.

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