Ben Shelton is into his first Masters 1000 quarter-final after defeating Jannik Sinner 2-6 6-3 7-6(5) in Shanghai.
The American continued his breakthrough season after reaching the last eight of a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career.
Shelton edged out the world number four, who won Beijing last week, as he followed up his US Open semi-final with another big milestone.
After the match Shelton reflected on his career so far after earning his biggest career ranking, “This is a pretty crazy atmosphere,” Shelton told the ATP website.
“To think that a year and a half ago I was in college and a year ago playing Challengers, now I am on centre court in Shanghai with the crowd singing happy birthday. It is one of those pinch me moments.
“I had a lot of belief in my ability to serve and hang tough and to make it deep in sets. I trusted my fitness levels, being able to go the distance. That gave me a lot of confidence. My serve wasn’t working that well in the first set, I felt that he was really on top of me. I really started to find my groove and had one of my best serving days in the second and third sets.
“I am addicted to playing on the big stages. I have not had a normal upbringing or usual first year on Tour. It has been a little bit backwards but I am just trying to keep going and improving each week.”
Next for Shelton will be Sebastian Korda in the quarter-finals on Thursday after Korda defeated Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets.
