WATCH: Ben Shelton "hangs up the phone" in signature style after Shanghai Masters 4R win over Jannik Sinner
Ben Shelton registered the biggest win of his career after he ended Jannik Sinner's stay at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday, October 10.
Shelton is seeded No. 19 at the ATP 1000 tournament and entered the fourth round after a tough win in his previous match. Jannik Sinner, the recently crowned China Open champion, started off in swift fashion, breaking Shelton's serve twice to take the first set in just 33 minutes.
The young American settled into the contest in the second set as he broke Sinner at 2-1 and held his own to level the contest. The third set went to a tiebreaker as both fended off multiple breakpoints. Ben Shelton eventually registered a win, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5).
The 21-year-old was over the moon after beating the World No. 4 in a laborious and challenging contest that tested his ability to handle pressure points multiple times. He will now play his maiden quarterfinal of an ATP Tour tournament.
Shelton could not hold back his elation after a major career milestone and brought out his signature hanging-up phone celebration.
Ben Shelton will be up against Sebastian Korda in Shanghai Masters QF
An exciting all-American match-up will be on display at the Shanghai Masters as Sebastian Korda and Ben Shelton will lock horns in the quarterfinal on Friday, October 13. Korda bettered No. 20 seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina in the fourth round 7-5, 7-6 (6).
Like Shelton, Korda, the No. 26 seed, also registered the first top 5 win of his career in Shanghai when he ousted No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev in the third round 7-6 (8), 6-2. This was his second win over Medvedev this year after beating him at the Australian Open third round.
Ben Shelton came to China for his first tournament in the country after an impressive performance at the Laver Cup and his first-ever Grand Slam semifinal appearance at the US Open.
After a dream run in New York, he broke into the top 20 ranking for the first time in his career. In addition, he also reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, stamping his mark on the ATP Tour.
In Shanghai, he began his campaign with a comfortable win against Jaume Munar of Spain in the second round, 6-4, 6-4, after receiving a first-round bye. The next match against Roman Safiullin tested Shelton's mental strength and resilience. The American came back from behind to beat the Russian, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.