Former world No. 10 Denis Shapovalov seeks to upset Ben Shelton in Friday's Shanghai Masters second-round match.
The Canadian qualifier edged Lorenzo Sonego in two tight tie-breaks in his tournament opener and aims to stun his American opponent in their third match-up on the ATP Tour.
Match preview
© Imago
Although Shapovalov needed to come through qualifying to feature at the Masters event in Shanghai, the erstwhile top-10 player came through without dropping a set.
Entering the main draw, the qualifier needed to beat an opponent at least 50 places above him in the ATP rankings to avoid an early exit, and he succeeded with a close 7-6(5), 7-6(8) success against Sonego.
That triumph sets up Friday's match-up with Shelton, with the 102-ranked player keen to notch his seventh Masters 1000 victory in 2024 after starting in Shanghai with a 5-5 win-loss record.
His finest run on hard courts this season came in Miami, where he defeated Luciano Darderi in three sets and upset Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets before falling to Matteo Arnaldi in the third round, and the 25-year-old hopes to at least match that run after overcoming Sonego last time out.
Facing the effervescent Shelton poses unique threats to the Canadian, with the 21-year-old aiming to avoid a shock early loss in his seventh 1000 event this year.
Although the world No. 16 has typically avoided tournament-opening defeats at these Masters events, his deepest run came at Indian Wells and Cincinnati, where he reached the fourth round and quarter-final respectively; thus, Shelton aims to dodge a round of 64 defeat against an opponent he has never lost against.
Despite an unsuccessful Tokyo appearance following a commendable Laver Cup showing, Shelton played admirably to reach the last eight at the ATP 500 event in Japan before losing to eventual champion Arthur Fils in three close sets.
Recharged and ready to go again, the American aims to at least equal his last-eight run in Cincy before the final Major of 2024 and a 2023 progress to the quarter-final in Shanghai before losing to Sebastian Korda.
Tournament so far
Denis Shapovalov:
First round: vs. Lorenzo Sonego 7-6[5] 7-6[8]
Ben Shelton:
First round: Bye
Head To Head
Washington (2024) - Quarter-final: Shelton 7-6(5) 6-6 defaulted
Wimbledon (2024) - Third round: Shelton 6-7(4) 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-2
Although Shelton leads his head-to-head against Shapovalov 2-0, both match-ups have been far from straightforward.
He needed five sets to triumph at Wimbledon before a controversial conclusion at the Citi Open in Washington in the lead-up to the US Open saw the Canadian lose after being defaulted while match point down against the American.
We say: Shelton to win in three sets
While Shelton has notched consecutive victories over Shapovalov in 2024, neither one came easy for the American, and Friday's second-round match should be no different. We are backing the higher-ranked player to progress to the third round, but this one could go the distance.
