#NextGenATP Fils, Shelton Break New Ground In Shanghai

Peter Staples/ATP Tour

Arthur Fils accelerated to a third-round spot Sunday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where the #NextGenATP Frenchman downed 24th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 7-5 to underline his credentials as one of the biggest emerging talents on Tour.

The World No. 44 Fils hit 22 winners en route to an 83-minute win at the Qizhong Tennis Center. He broke Davidovich Fokina’s serve twice in each set to avenge his defeats to the Spaniard earlier this year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Locked in 😤@ArthurFils1 overcomes Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round in Shanghai.#RolexShanghaiMasters | @SH_RolexMasters pic.twitter.com/PS2FHu1pTN

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 8, 2023

With his win, Fils secured back-to-back main-draw victories at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time. He arrived in Shanghai with a 1-3 record at that level, but will now take on 12th seed Tommy Paul in the third round after confidently moving past Pavel Kotov and Davidovich Fokina in China.

Fils is now 16-13 for the season, a tally which includes lifting his maiden ATP Tour crown in May in Lyon. Sunday’s victory is also a boost for the 19-year-old as he looks to secure a debut appearance at the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals. He is currently fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah.

Another #NextGenATP star, Ben Shelton, also trod new ground on Sunday in Shanghai. The American booked a fourth-round berth at a Masters 1000 event for the first time with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph against the in-form Roman Safiullin.

Shelton’s booming lefty serve proved crucial to his two-hour, eight-minute win in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Chengdu finalist Safiullin. The 20-year-old won 81 per cent (48/59) of points behind his first delivery en route to a victory that consolidates his position in third in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah.

Next up for Shelton in Shanghai is a first tour-level clash with Jannik Sinner. The sixth seed defeated Sebastian Baez 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 later on Sunday.