No. 6 seed Jannik Sinner will face American rising star Ben Shelton in the round of 16 of the Shanghai Masters. The match will be played on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.

Jannik Sinner extended his winning streak on Chinese soil to seven matches with a come-from-behind win over Sebastian Baez in the third round of the Shanghai Masters. Sinner was the master of digging deep in the first week of the tournament, which could be attributed to accumulated fatigue resulting from a rollercoaster week in Beijing where he recovered from sickness to win the ATP 500 title in style, beating the top two seeds. He’s had just a few days of rest before he was in action in the penultimate Masters 1000 tournament of the year. Sinner saved four set points en route to a 7-6, 6-2 win over Marcos Giron in his first match here. And against Argentina’s Baez another slow start nearly cost him, but the Italian finished off strongly, winning the third 6-2.

Ben Shelton, for his part, also secured a three-set win in his third-round match against inspired Russian Roman Safiullin. The Chengdu finalist won the first 6-3, converting one of his three break points. Shelton requested for a trainer after the first set to take off strappings on his ankles but he didn’t seem pertubed by any physical issues and came back roaring to win 6-3, 6-4 in the next two sets. It was his 15th win on hard courts on the ATP Tour, the most he’s managed in a single season.

This should be an exciting match between two players I’m sure we’ll see frequently on the biggest stage in many years to come. So far, Sinner has reached the upper echelons of the sport, having won his first Masters title and an ATP 500 this season. He’s also broken the Top 5 for the first time and ranks fourth in the ATP rankings. Shelton is on an upward trajectory. A  breakthrough year in his first season on the ATP Tour full-time, he’s already broken the Top 20. The American has an explosive game that marries well with his dextrous backhand slice. Shelton is far from finished article and he’s going to motor in the rankings next year for sure with subtle improvements in his game. But Sinner has that baseline consistency that should win him the important points this match and I think it will be a lot closer than what the odds suggest. The over 22.5 games at +103 offer great value, but Sinner will fight fire with fire, using his own power to pierce Shelton’s defenses in this match.