World no. 6 Ben Shelton is ready to extend his season at the Masters 1000 event in Shanghai. The second-best American player injured his left shoulder at the US Open and retired for the first time in a career against Adrian Mannarino.
The young gun skipped the Laver Cup and the ATP 500 event in Tokyo, staying at home and treating his injury. The Canada Masters champion is ready to compete again, arriving in Shanghai before his rivals and hoping for a good run in his only tournament of the Asian swing.
Ben experienced a massive setback in New York. One of the dark horses experienced shoulder issues and left the court in tears after the fourth set.
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Shelton prioritized full recovery and took a couple of weeks off the court. Now, he is ready to compete again and chase valuable points in his quest toward the first ATP Finals appearance.
Ben is 37-18 this year. He has passed 15 rivals on the ATP ranking list and established himself as a top-10 star. He made the Australian Open semi-final at the beginning of the year and backed it with the Indian Wells quarter-final.
A left-hander lost the ATP 500 Munich final on clay to Alexander Zverev and challenged Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros, showing his skills on the slowest surface.
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The young American reached the Wimbledon quarter-final and used that boost to clinch his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto over Karen Khachanov. Ben lost to Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati and wished for a deep run at the US Open.
However, he experienced a setback in the third round against Adrian Mannarino. The Frenchman trailed two sets to one before taking set number four. Struggling with a left shoulder injury, Shelton retired following a massive pain, leaving the home Major in tears.
Ben will return to action in Shanghai, where he bested Jannik Sinner two years ago.
