Ben Shelton collected his 40th tour win of the season on his 24th birthday. On October 9, 2026, the third seed beat Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 7-6(6) in his Shanghai Masters opener.
The second set was decided by an 8-6 tiebreak. Shanghai was Shelton’s first singles event since reaching the US Open final in September, and he completed his return in two sets.
He had reached his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal at Shanghai in 2023. In the 2026 edition, he was pursuing a fifth title of the year and a second Masters 1000 title after winning Montreal.
Arthur Gea was next. The Frenchman defeated 30th seed Ugo Humbert 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 that day to set their meeting..
