Shanghai Shakeup: Shelton knocked out early as Tsitsipas faces double dilemma
3 octobre 2025
Shanghai Round-Up: Shelton's Exit
Ben Shelton, the American sixth seed, was ousted in the second round of the Shanghai Masters 1,000 after a straight-sets defeat to Belgian David Goffin, 2-6, 4-6.
Goffin started strong, breaking Shelton's serve in the third game and again in the seventh, racing to a 5-2 lead before clinching the first set 6-2 in 33 minutes.
The momentum held in the second set, with the Belgian sealing the win at 6-4 after another late break, in 44 minutes.
Goffin will meet Canadian Gabriel Diallo in the next round after Diallo defeated Benjamin Bonzi 6-4, 6-4.
American Frances Tiafoe, the 25th seed, also fell, losing to German Yannick Hanfmann 7-6 (11-9) 2-6 1-6.
Danish teen Holger Rune reached the third round by defeating Argentine Sebastian Baez 7-5 6-4.
Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, the 19th seed, beat Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4), while Frenchman Hugo Umber, the 21st seed, downed Australian Jordan Thompson 6-3 7-6 (7-4).
Shanghai Masters, held October 1-12, is one of tennis' Asian crown jewels, played on outdoor hard courts at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Minhang.
The event features 96 singles players, 32 doubles teams, and 48 qualifiers, making it one of the largest events outside the grand slams and one of nine ATP Masters 1000 events staged outside Europe and North America.
This year's edition carries a record prize fund of $9.19 million, with the singles champion earning $1.12 million and the doubles winners collecting $457,150.
Beyond the money, players are chasing valuable ATP rankings points that could shape the season-ending standings.
Tsitsipas: Back Pain and Family Dynamics
Stefanos Tsitsipas finds himself in an unfamiliar position ahead of Shanghai this year.
Once among the game's top-3 players, he has faced questions about Finals qualification and his form in 2024-25, arriving with a 22-18 record this season and a lingering back issue.
Recent back treatment has brought some relief and slightly looser movement on court, and Tsitsipas says his coaching relationship with his father Apostolos remains in good shape.
He notes the partnership has evolved, and the team works well together now, with the Greek star valuing his father as a coach and a parent. He also hints at adding a third voice to the setup while keeping his father central.
He hopes the arrangement may even allow his father to step back a little and enjoy life beyond tennis.
Tsitsipas's resilience has been tested this season, dropping from a string of top-10 finishes between 2019 and 2023 to 11th last year and now ranking 25th in the ATP list.
With Athens and the final weeks of the season in view, the 25-year-old says his focus is a blend of optimizing what his back allows and building a streak of wins without pain.
He added, in summary, that the aim is to string together several matches without back trouble and to keep creative momentum going with a stable team.
Punchline: If Tsitsipas' back holds, maybe the only thing that stays straight in Shanghai is the net.
Punchline 2: When in doubt, call it a family service ace—the serve is fierce, the drama is priceless, and the press conference is always a cliffhanger.
