Ben Shelton celebrated his birthday early at the Rolex Shanghai Masters with a pair of wins at the hard-court event. On Monday, the American’s 21st birthday, Shelton marked the occasion with a cake, sharing the moment with his father and coach, Bryan Shelton.

The American has plenty of reason to celebrate, given his rapid rise on the ATP Tour. Before the World No. 20 takes on Jannik Sinner on Tuesday in Shanghai, ATPTour.com highlights five milestones that have fuelled Shelton’s star power.

Shelton Stuns Ruud In Cincinnati, Turns Pro Soon After
After making his tour-level debut in 2022 with a win in his native Atlanta, Shelton upset then-World No. 5 Casper Ruud in the Cincinnati second round. He did not face a break point against the Norwegian, and the third-round run in his first ATP Masters 1000 proved the American belonged at the top level. Soon after the event, Shelton announced he would forgo the final two years of his NCAA eligibility to turn pro.

New Horizons: Australian Open QFs
Shelton closed the 2022 season by winning three straight ATP Challenger Tour titles on U.S. soil to enter the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, then left the country for the first time for the 2023 Australian swing. Playing in his second major at the Australian Open (he earned a wild card into the 2022 US Open as an American NCAA singles champion), Shelton announced himself as one of the hottest rising stars in the game with a stunning quarter-final run that included five-set wins against Zhang Zhizhen and J.J. Wolf.

Ben Shelton” />
Ben Shelton cuts his birthday cake as his father and coach, Bryan Shelton, watches on. Photo courtesy of Rolex Shanghai Masters/Frey TPN.

Serving Notice
While Shelton struggled to match the heights of his Melbourne run in the months to follow, he continued to develop his game — and his serve. Shelton routinely passed the 130-mph mark on his deliveries throughout the season and topped out at 149 mph at the 2023 US Open. Prior to his second appearance at his home major, Shelton won his very first clay-court match in Estoril (d. Lestienne), earned his first grass-court victory at The Queen’s Club (d. Wolf) and made a winning Wimbledon debut (d. Daniel).

Home Hero: US Open SFs
Just like in Melbourne, Shelton once again brought his best tennis to a hard-court Grand Slam in New York. The unseeded star lit up Arthur Ashe Stadium with back-to-back wins in all-American matches against Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe, then put on a show in a valiant three-set defeat to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. Shelton’s run lifted him to a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 19.

Pretty sick @GQMagazine 😉 pic.twitter.com/mMUCxPRdfa

— Ben Shelton (@BenShelton) September 14, 2023

Laver Cup King
Just like in his college days at the University of Florida, Shelton thrived in the team atmosphere at Laver Cup. The American debutant led captain John McEnroe’s Team World to victory with three match wins, including the clinching doubles victory alongside Tiafoe.

Ugo Humbert picked up his second Top 10 win in 10 days and his third Lexus ATP Head2Head victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday night at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The Frenchman earned a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 result to advance to the last 16 at an ATP Masters 1000 for the third time (twice in 2020) and equal a personal-best 24 wins in a season (also 2020). 

“I’m so happy. It’s a big win against Tsitsipas, a Top 10 player,” Humbert said after the two-hour, nine-minute match that finished after midnight. “Last week I beat [Andrey] Rublev so I feel a lot of confidence on court and I’m very proud that I won this match.

“I’m just enjoying playing tennis. It’s a big passion for me. It’s all the work during all the year. Since Davis Cup I’ve played really great tennis and I’m very happy to play like this.

Tsitsipas’ recent struggles continued in the defeat, with the Greek still unable to notch consecutive wins since his Los Cabos title in early August. But the 25-year-old remains in strong position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, sitting in sixth place in his bid to return to the Nitto ATP Finals.

Humbert improved to 9-9 against Top 10 opponents, including a 2-4 mark this season, with his previous Top 10 win coming last week against Rublev in Beijing, where he reached the quarter-finals before a three-set defeat to Daniil Medvedev.

The Frenchman broke in the opening game against Tsitsipas and fought off four break points to serve out the opening set. The Greek took set two, also behind a single break.

The drama peaked in set three, when Humbert saw his 3-0 lead erased and battled through deuce at 4-4 before breaking in the final game of the match. A brilliant backhand pass brought up match point, before a defensive backhand found the deep corner to force an error from Tsitsipas.

Next up for Humbert is a fourth-round meeting with J.J. Wolf, a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) winner against Matteo Arnaldi earlier on Monday. Humbert is seeking his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final after reaching that stage on home soil in Paris in 2020.

Italian Flavio Cobolli boosted his chances for Next Gen ATP Finals qualification after a title run this past week at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Lisbon, Portugal.

The 21-year-old, who is ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Race to Jeddah, dropped just one set all week at the Del Monte Lisboa Belém Open, where he defeated Lebanon’s Benjamin Hassan 7-5, 7-5 in Sunday’s final to earn his second ATP Challenger Tour crown and first of this season.

“The week was tough. I did good work, so I’m really happy about that,” Cobolli said. “I know [Benjamin] very well. At the beginning, it was tough because he played unbelievable the first three or four games. But I was solid, my focus was good so after that moment, I started to play better.”

At a career-high No. 108 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, Cobolli boasts a 32-21 Challenger-match record this season. The Florence native is the fourth #NextGenATP Italian to win a title this year, joining Luca Nardi, Matteo Gigante and Luciano Darderi.

In other Challenger action, Czech Tomas Machac collected his second consecutive title at the Open de Vendée in France. The 22-year-old, who won in Orleans the week prior, defeated Stanford University star Arthur Fery 6-3, 6-4 in the final to earn his sixth ATP Challenger Tour title.

“It was very tough. I’m super happy to win this one because at the beginning of the tournament, I was a little bit tired but my level of tennis was great,” Machac said. “I’m super happy that I’m the winner today.”

Tomas Machac wins the Challenger 100 event in Mouilleron Le Captif, France.” />
^{Tomas Machac wins the Challenger 100 event in Mouilleron Le Captif, France. Credit: Un Oeil Averty}
Having won 14 of his past 15 matches at the Challenger level, Machac is up 17 spots to a career-high No. 79 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

American Zachary Svajda defended his title on home soil at the Tiburon Challenger. The third seed cruised past Adam Walton 6-2, 6-2 in the final to collect his second Challenger title of 2023, having won last month in Cary.

“I feel very comfortable on these courts,” Svajda told commentator Mike Cation. “It’s like a slower court, which I like and it’s usually not too warm here. I like the cooler weather. I think the atmosphere helps too.”

Zachary Svajda wins the Challenger 75 event in Tiburon, California.” />
^{Zachary Svajda wins the Challenger 75 event in Tiburon, California. Credit: Natalie Kim}

The 20-year-old Svajda twice won the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships in Kalamazoo (2019, 2021) and defeated Ben Shelton last year in the Tiburon Challenger final. On Sunday, the California native avenged his August loss to Walton, who graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2022, to lift his third ATP Challenger Tour title.

“With Adam, I played him last November and even though I won, I was like, ‘This guy is going to be good. This will be his first year coming up.’ I honestly said [he would be] Top 150 by this time and sure enough, he’s around that,” Svajda said. “I tried to be more consistent. My movement too, I thought I moved very well. I hit through my forehand. I kept competing hard.”

Constant Lestienne claimed his third Challenger trophy of the season by winning the Alicante Ferrero Challenger, where he also triumphed in 2021. On Sunday, the 31-year-old survived countryman Hugo Grenier 6-7(10), 6-2, 6-4 to be crowned champion.

“In the first set, we were both struggling with our fitness. I was thinking that this is the last effort of the week, so I will give everything and try to fight. It was really tight,” said Lestienne, who has won 16 of his past 18 Challenger matches. “I played really well this week and the level was hard.”

Constant Lestienne wins the Challenger 100 event in Alicante, Spain.” />
^{Constant Lestienne wins the Challenger 100 event in Alicante, Spain. Credit: equeliteferrero}
Players from France have combined for a record-breaking 24 ATP Challenger Tour titles this season. The previous record was set last season by Argentina. Lestienne is one of 16 different French Challenger champions this season and the only player from his country to win more than two Challenger titles in 2023.

Brazilian Thiago Monteiro won his ninth ATP Challenger Tour trophy and first on home soil when he rallied past Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to triumph at the Campeonato Internacional de Tênis in Campinas.

“It’s an incredible feeling to win my first title at home. It was an incredible week,” Monteiro said. “I’m very happy to get the support and all the energy from the crowd. It was very special. This is going to always be in memory and this is a title that is going to give me confidence for the rest of the year. Hopefully I can keep going with good results.”

Thiago Monteiro celebrates winning the Challenger 100 event in Campinas, Brazil.” />
^{Thiago Monteiro celebrates winning the Challenger 100 event in Campinas, Brazil. Credit: João Pires}
Rain on Saturday forced Monteiro and Ugo Carabelli to play both their semi-final match and final on Sunday. Despite playing two matches in one day, the 29-year-old Monteiro held his nerve to capture his first Challenger title in 13 months.

Carlos Alcaraz overcame a tricky test from Daniel Evans on Monday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, advancing 7-6(1), 6-4 to boost his ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone chances.

The Spaniard, who is making his debut in Shanghai, handled Evans’ court-craft with his own agility and power, prevailing in a series of lung-busting exchanges to improve to 41-1 on the year against players ranked outside the Top 20.

Alcaraz frustrated Evans with his depth and accuracy in the third-round clash and rallied from a break down in the first set to lead. He then committed just two unforced errors in the second set to improve to 4-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“It was a really tough match. It was one of the toughest matches I have played outside of the Grand Slams,” Alcaraz said. “Every time I play Daniel it is a tricky match and I have to play my best to beat him… Both of us played a high quality of tennis and I am really happy to get through.”

With his Tour-leading 63rd win of the season, the 20-year-old has closed the gap on Novak Djokovic to 500 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. If Alcaraz reaches the title match he will leapfrog the Serbian into first place.

Alcaraz is seeking his seventh tour-level title of the season this week and third at ATP Masters 1000 level (Indian Wells, Madrid). He will next play 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov following his two-hour, 25-minute win against Evans.

In an entertaining battle that featured a series of cat-and-mouse points, Alcaraz was impressive at the net against Evans, winning 67 per cent (22/33) of points when moving forward.

Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek and Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski are the first two doubles teams to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. The 2023 season finale will be played from 12-19 November in Turin.

Both pairs are returning to the year-end championships for the second consecutive season after making team debuts at the Pala Alpitour last year. 

Dodig and Krajicek, who became a team in the middle of 2022, have enjoyed a consistent 2023. They won their first major title together at Roland Garros and their maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy at Monte-Carlo.

They also secured ATP 500 crowns at Rotterdam, Queen’s Club and Beijing, and reached the semi-finals of the US Open. Dodig and Krajicek reached the final at ATP 250 tournaments in Adelaide and Eastbourne.

Dodig has earned his place at the season finale for the ninth time (four different partners) and Krajicek is a two-time qualifier.

Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski” />

Koolhof and Skupski have proven a consistent force on the doubles scene since partnering for the first time last year. In 2022 they competed in the Nitto ATP Finals and were crowned ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by Pepperstone.

It has been another standout season for Koolhof and Skupski, who earned their first major title together at Wimbledon. They also triumphed at ’s-Hertogenbosch.

Other notable results include championship match appearances at Indian Wells, Barcelona and Beijing. They also made the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

Koolhof won the Nitto ATP Finals title in 2020 alongside Nikola Mektic. This edition will mark his third appearance in the season finale and Skupski’s second.

Diego Schwartzman won three consecutive matches for the first time since May 2022 on Monday when he upset World No. 8 Taylor Fritz 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5) at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The Argentine wild card has endured a modest season by his standards, arriving in Shanghai 9-22 on the year. However, he has looked close to his best at the hard-court event and backed up wins against Luca Van Assche and Jiri Lehecka with a consistent returning display in his meeting with Fritz.

The 31-year-old won 54 per cent (22/41) of points on Fritz’s second serve to earn his first Top 10 win since April in 2022, when he beat then-World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime in Barcelona.

“I think since Roland Garros my tennis was changing. I was winning at least one match in every single tournament,” Schwartzman said. “Obviously this is not my year, so that is why that at the end of the year to have these kinds of tournaments is great. Not many tournaments to come, but it is going to make a difference.

Schwartzman, who is up to No. 108 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will next play Nicolas Jarry in the fourth round after the Chilean defeated Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(4), 6-2.

Fritz’s defeat is a dent to his Nitto ATP Finals hopes. The American is ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, 235 points behind eighth-placed Holger Rune, who is in the final qualification spot.

Andrey Rublev also advanced, brushing aside Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-0 to end the Frenchman’s eight-match winning run. Rublev struck 35 winners and committed just five unforced errors to seal his spot in the fourth round after 63 minutes.

Andrey Rublev” style=”width: 100%;” />
_{^{Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}}
The fifth seed now holds a 15-6 record at ATP Masters 1000 events this season, highlighted by his title run in Monte-Carlo.

Rublev is aiming to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals and is currently fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He will next play 11th-placed Tommy Paul, who is seeking a deep run in Shanghai to boost his own hopes.

Tommy Paul boosted his slim Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes on Monday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he defeated #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-4 to reach the fourth round.

In a hard-fought clash, the American recovered from squandering two match points in the second-set tie-break, responding with consistent baseline play in the deciding set to advance after two hours and 40 minutes.

Paul is currently 11th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin on 2,525 points, trailing eighth-placed Holger Rune by 585 points. The 26-year-old is aiming to make his debut at the prestigious year-end event.

Paul has advanced to at least the fourth round at all hard-court ATP Masters 1000 events this season (Indian Wells, Miami, Toronto SFs, Cincinnati, Shanghai). He will aim to reach his second Masters 1000 quarter-final of the year when he takes on Andrey Rublev or Adrian Mannarino.

In other action, Grigor Dimitrov reached the fourth round at a Masters 1000 for the first time since Paris in 2022. The Bulgarian moved past World No. 14 Karen Khachanov 7-6(6), 6-4 to earn his sixth Top 20 win of the season.

The 18th seed saved one set point in the first set at 5/6 in the tie-break, before winning 17 of his 19 first-serve points in the second set to advance after one hour and 57 minutes.

Dimitrov now leads Khachanov 3-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Heads series and will next face top seed Carlos Alcaraz or Daniel Evans.

Zhang Zhizhen made more history on Sunday when he became the first Chinese player to reach the fourth round at the Rolex Shanghai Masters in the history of the ATP Masters 1000 event. The World No. 60 overcame 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Brandon Nakashima 7-6(2), 6-2.

Competing on home soil, Zhang struck 18 winners and saved the one break point he faced to advance after one hour and 25 minutes. He also clinched seven consecutive points in the first-set tie-break to lead.

“I didn’t even know I won seven points in a row,” Zhang said. “I just tried to go point by point. It was a very tough match because I couldn’t find any chance on his serve until the second set. I had to be patient and I’m glad I broke him in the end. I’m pretty happy.”

Zhang became the first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finalist from China in May in Madrid and in July rose to No. 52 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the highest position ever held by anyone from the East Asian country. He beat Casper Ruud at the US Open to become the first Chinese man to beat a Top 5 opponent.

Now into the fourth round at the hard-court event, the 26-year-old will aim to continue his historic run when he plays 16th seed Hubert Hurkacz. Earlier this week Zhang defeated Richard Gasquet and Tomas Martin Etcheverry.