Arthur Gea sends Ben Shelton crashing out of Shanghai Masters 2026

Arthur Gea said that beating a top-10 player for the first time was a significant moment in his season. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Ben Shelton admitted he had been “outplayed” after crashing out of the Shanghai Masters in the third round on Sunday, losing 7-6(5) 7-6(3) to France’s Arthur Gea.

The American, ranked fourth in the world, lost both sets in tiebreakers against the world number 56. Shelton had played little competitive tennis since his US Open final defeat to Alexander Zverev in September and withdrew from the Japan Open because of fitness concerns.

When asked whether the lack of matches had affected his overall gameplay, Shelton said he would have preferred to arrive in Shanghai earlier to adjust to the time difference.

“A hundred percent, I would have liked to have come over here earlier and be prepared and have already dealt with the jet lag by the time I was playing here in the Shanghai Masters. My body wasn’t ready. I wasn’t physically ready to play in Tokyo. That’s just the way this tour is sometimes,” he added.

The 24-year-old said his focus was now on ending 2026 strongly at the ATP Finals in Turin next month.

“Obviously I want to be prepared and playing some of my best tennis when I get there,” he added.

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“Three tournaments left to finish the year, which has been a very up and down year, but a great year, on a high note.”

Gea will next meet either Jakub Mensik or Francisco Cerundolo. The Frenchman said beating a top-10 player for the first time was a significant moment in his season.

“I’m practicing hard every day since the beginning of the year to win against those guys,” he said.

“Of course, when you win, it is always special. But, yeah, I was prepared and I was confident before the match. Also playing a really good season right now, so, yeah, that’s a really good win, but I was ready for it.”