By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
World no. 1 male tennis player Jannik Sinner advanced to the playoff stage of the ongoing Shanghai Masters tennis tournament after sweeping Ben Shelton- 6.4, 7.6- on October 9, 2024, at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in China.
After a tough matchup when he needed three grueling sets to dispatch Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the Round of 32, Sinner got a sigh of relief after cruising past Shelton who just ranked up to world no. 16.
Despite a slow start from Sinner after committing several unforced errors during the baseline rally exchanges, the power hitter redeemed himself midway through the opening set by cashing in several service aces.
Sinner then banked on his tremendous serving display to regain his groundstroke rhythm, edging Shelton in the forehand showdown with a series of down-the-line laser bombs.
The Italian ace iced the first set after scoring a service break to snatch the much-needed momentum entering the second frame of the playoff decider.
Just when Sinner thought he could stomp over Shelton after a decisive win in the first set, the youngster from the US staged a groundstroke clinic that helped him keep within striking distance.
In sets 2 & 3, Shelton looked comfortable countering Sinner’s huge top-spin kick serves and scored a single break but all hell broke loose in the final four game sets when the world no. 1 put on the finishing touches with a varied offensive approach.
Sinner caught Shelton off guard with a strange tactic of pressing the net, a strategy that the Italian star isn’t known for in pressure situations.
However, Sinner’s improved net game steered him to a clutch rally and officially ended Shelton’s hopes of a deep run in the Shanghai Masters.
Before taking down Shelton and Etcheverry, Sinner handed Taro Daniel a demolition exhibition in the first round- 6.1, 6.4-.
