Shanghai shock: Arthur Gea knocks out US Open finalist Shelton
The 21-year-old Frenchman beat third seed Ben Shelton 7-6, 7-6 for his first win over a top-10 player. Jakub Mensik awaits in the last 16.
Photo: Skyscraper2010 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Video: YouTube · ATP Tour · youtube.com
Arthur Gea produced the biggest upset of the opening days at the Shanghai Masters. The 21-year-old Frenchman beat third seed Ben Shelton of the US 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) in the third round on Sunday, converting his first match point at 6-3 in the second tiebreak after two hours and seven minutes.
According to the ATP it is Gea's first win over a top-10 player and his first main-draw appearance at a Masters 1000 event. He started the year ranked No. 241 and is now No. 48 in the live rankings. He won his first ATP title in Los Cabos in July and reached the US Open fourth round as a lucky loser. "I am more confident on the court," Gea told the ATP.
Shelton, who reached the US Open final in September, missed out on valuable points in the race for the ATP Finals in Turin, where he sits fourth in the live race. Gea next faces Jakub Mensik, who beat Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Alexander Zverev is top seed in Shanghai after world No. 1 Jannik Sinner ended his season because of a knee injury.