Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton face off in a rematch of last year’s Shanghai Masters fourth round when they battle on Wednesday.
Although the American stunned Sinner 12 months ago in their first meeting on the ATP Tour, the Italian has since responded impressively in their rivalry and aims to continue his winning streak against the high-energy Shelton.
The best player on the men’s tour in 2024 has made it to the quarter-final of every tournament this season, but that streak faced a threat last time out when he needed a turnaround against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
The world No. 1 fell short in the first set tiebreak before turning the match around to clinch a 6-7(3), 6-4 6-2 victory.
Although he landed 71% of first serves and won 78% of points on such deliveries, a 54% success on seconds was average by the Italian’s standards, a repeat which the heavy-hitting Shelton could exploit.
Facing the American poses fresh challenges for the Tour’s leading player this season, who aims to clinch a third Masters success of 2024 and fourth overall.
To achieve that, Sinner must get the better of the player who eliminated him at this event in 2023 to continue his impressive streak of quarter-final appearances this season and set up a potential last-eight encounter with Stefanos Tsitsipas or Daniil Medvedev.
