Oct 11 (Reuters) – US Open finalist Ben Shelton conceded he had been “outplayed” after suffering a shock 7-6(5) 7-6(3) defeat by France’s Arthur Gea in the third round of the Shanghai Masters on Sunday.
World number four Shelton, who has barely played since losing to Alexander Zverev in September’s US Open final and withdrew from the Japan Open due to fitness concerns, lost both sets against the world number 56 in tight tiebreakers.
Asked if his recent lack of action had had an effect on him, Shelton told reporters: “I mean, 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.
“My body wasn’t ready. I wasn’t physically ready to play in Tokyo. That’s just the way this tour is sometimes.”
The 24-year-old American said he was focused on finishing his 2026 campaign on a “high note” at the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin next month.
“Obviously I want to be prepared and playing some of my best tennis when I get there,” he added.
“Three tournaments left to finish the year, which has been a very up and down year, but a great year, on a high note.”
Gea, who next faces either Jakub Mensik or Francisco Cerundolo, was delighted with his first win over a top-10 player.
“I’m practicing hard every day since the beginning of the year to win against those guys,” he said.
“Of course, when you win, it is always special. But, yeah, I was prepared and I was confident before the match. Also playing a really good season right now, so, yeah, that’s a really good win, but I was ready for it.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
