Daijiworld Media Network - Shanghai
Shanghai, Oct 11: American tennis star Ben Shelton admitted that Arthur Gea was the better player on the day after the World No. 4 suffered a straight-set defeat against the Frenchman in the third round of the Shanghai Masters on Sunday.
Gea registered a 7-6(5), 7-6(3) victory to claim his first win over a Top-10 opponent.
Shelton acknowledged Gea's impressive performance while admitting that he had struggled to adjust to the conditions in China due to his late arrival at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
“I got outplayed today. The guy played better than me. 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,” Shelton said after the defeat, as quoted by the ATP Tour.
The loss came after a demanding period on the tour for the American. Shelton had reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, marking a major milestone in his career and raising expectations ahead of the Asian swing. However, his preparations were disrupted by two singles defeats in Davis Cup action and an injury that forced him to withdraw from the ATP 500 tournament in Tokyo.
While acknowledging the challenges posed by his schedule, Shelton stressed that Gea deserved credit for his performance. Playing his first ATP-level match against Shelton, the Frenchman maintained his composure through two closely contested tie-breaks to secure one of the biggest victories of his career.
Gea's effectiveness on return proved decisive. Shelton, known for his powerful left-handed serve, struggled to win easy points behind his first delivery, managing only 63 per cent (40 of 63) of points on his first serve, according to ATP statistics.
“I thought he handled my serve outstandingly,” Shelton said. “I thought he did a great job on return today (from) start to finish. He put it a lot in play. He was putting them deep to the baseline. It was tough to attack.
“There were hardly any — as the match went on — points where I was getting easy free points or first balls to attack and come to the net on, so a lot of credit to him.”
Gea's ability to keep the ball deep and prevent Shelton from dictating rallies from the baseline proved crucial to the outcome.
The 21-year-old Frenchman has enjoyed a breakthrough season, winning his maiden ATP Tour title in Los Cabos before reaching the fourth round of the US Open as a lucky loser.
Despite the setback in Shanghai, Shelton's 2026 season remains one of the strongest of his career. The 24-year-old has won a career-best four titles this year and sits fourth in the ATP Live Race To Turin, keeping him firmly in contention for a second consecutive appearance at the ATP Finals.
Shelton is scheduled to return to action at the ATP 500 tournament in Basel, which begins on October 26, as he looks to bounce back from his shock exit in Shanghai.