Shanghai: Ben Shelton ticked off another milestone in his breakthrough season on Tuesday at Shanghai Masters, where he upset World No. 4 Jannik Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal.
The 21-year-old, who reached the semi-finals at the US Open in September, hung tough in a heavy-hitting clash against Sinner. The American struck the ball with ferocious power, firing 15 aces to earn his biggest win by Pepperstone ATP Ranking.
“This is a pretty crazy atmosphere,” Shelton said. “To think that a year and a half ago I was in college and a year ago playing Challengers, now I am on centre court in Shanghai with the crowd singing happy birthday. It is one of those pinch me moments.
“I had a lot of belief in my ability to serve and hang tough and to make it deep in sets. I trusted my fitness levels, being able to go the distance. That gave me a lot of confidence. My serve wasn’t working that well in the first set, I felt that he was really on top of me. I really started to find my groove and had one of my best serving days in the second and third sets.” (ATP Tour)
