Ben Shelton reached the third round of the Shanghai Masters on his 24th birthday, beating Daniel Altmaier 6 to 3, 7 to 6 on Friday.
How did he get through?
Comfortably in the first set and narrowly in the second, taking a tiebreak that went to eight points. It is a routine win for a player of his ranking and a useful one given his recent form.
What has his autumn looked like?
Difficult. He reached the US Open final and lost to Alexander Zverev, then withdrew from the Laver Cup, then played Davis Cup for the United States and lost both his singles matches as the Czech Republic eliminated the Americans in Prague. A first win at this tournament is the first straightforward result he has had in some weeks.
What was the biggest upset?
A qualifier beating the 23rd seed. Rei Sakamoto defeated Andrey Rublev 6 to 4, 6 to 4, which is a significant result for a player who had to come through qualifying to be in the draw at all.
Who else advanced?
Alex de Minaur, on a walkover when his opponent retired with an undisclosed problem. That is a fortunate result for him specifically, since he had himself retired with an adductor injury during the China Open final against Novak Djokovic earlier in the week. A player carrying an injury receiving a free pass into the third round is about as good an outcome as the draw could have produced for him.
Is the retirement rate telling?
Worth noting. Two withdrawals in a single day of early round play, alongside a defending injury from the previous tournament, in a stretch where the world number one has already ended his season. The Asian swing arrives late in a long calendar and the attrition is visible.
Who was still to play?
The top seed and the most recent champion. Zverev was scheduled against a Chinese wild card on the main court, and Djokovic was due in a night match against Hubert Hurkacz, days after winning the China Open for a 102nd career title.
What does the draw look like without Sinner?
More open at the top. The world number one withdrew this week after announcing he will miss the rest of 2026 with a right knee injury, which removes the tournament’s strongest entrant and the man who would otherwise be favourite. Djokovic said Thursday he intends to contact him about the season.
What is worth watching?
Whether de Minaur’s adductor holds, whether the attrition continues, and whether anyone outside the top seeds capitalises on a Shanghai Masters draw missing its leading name.
