10/09/2026 01:36:00
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10/09 01:34 CDT Birthday boy and US Open finalist Ben Shelton advances at the
Shanghai Masters
Birthday boy and US Open finalist Ben Shelton advances at the Shanghai Masters
SHANGHAI (AP) --- U.S. Open runner-up Ben Shelton celebrated his 24th birthday
Friday by advancing to the third round of the Shanghai Masters with a 6-3, 7-6
(6) win over Daniel Altmaier in the ATP 1000-level tournament.
Shelton played Davis Cup for the United States after the U.S. Open, losing both
his singles matches, after withdrawing from the Laver Cup team event.
Top-seeded Alexander Zverev, who beat Shelton in the final in four sets at
Flushing Meadows, was scheduled to play Chinese wild-card entry Wu Yibing in
the next match on the main Stadium Court at Shanghai.
Novak Djokovic, who won the China Open on Tuesday for a 102nd career title, was
scheduled to play a night match Friday against Hubert Hurkacz.
In other early results Friday in Shanghai, ninth-seeded Alex de Minaur advanced
to the third round on a walkover when his opponent, Alex Molcan, retired with
an undisclosed ailment. De Minaur had to retire with an adductor injury in the
China Open final against Djokovic.
Also Friday, qualifier Rei Sakamoto beat 23rd-seeded Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4.
No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from Shanghai this week when he announced he was
taking the rest of 2026 off due to a right knee injury. Djokovic said Thursday
he plans to reach out to Sinner about his injury-plagued season.
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