In a thrilling match at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Jannik Sinner celebrated his 22nd birthday by defeating Ben Shelton in the fourth round. Sinner’s impressive 6-4, 7-6(1) victory showcased his exceptional shot-making skills and marked his fourth win in five encounters against Shelton. This win was particularly meaningful as it reversed last year’s result, where Shelton had emerged victorious in a third-set tie-break.

In an impressive display, Sinner remained resilient in the face of a strong start from Shelton, who claimed victory in his first 16 service points and generated the first two break points at 2-1 in the opening set. Notably, in the ninth game of the first set, the Italian successfully defended against a Shelton overhead, securing his first break point of the match. This led to a 5-4 lead before he served out the set to love.

Shelton effectively utilized the drop shot throughout the match, but it was Sinner who skillfully executed one to stave off a break point at 2-3 in the second set. Despite the American’s threat with Sinner serving at 3-4, Sinner relied on his serve to overcome the 0/40 situation.

While being down by a breakpoint in the second set, Jannik Sinner came up with a beautiful, fearless drop shot to claim the point after a solid build-up.

WATCH the video here:

Jannik Sinner comes up with a gorgeous drop shot against Ben Shelton in Shanghai.

Break point down.

Great defending.

Beautiful, fearless drop shot.

🇮🇹🦊

pic.twitter.com/H8CmUBUmIP

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 9, 2024

Sinner Leads The Pack

Sinner leads the ATP Tour with 62 wins and six titles this season. He has advanced to his seventh ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final of the year, the most in a single season since Alexander Zverev’s seven in 2018. The 23-year-old has reached the quarters in all 14 events he has entered this season and will next face either Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas.