When it comes to tennis on an indoor hard court, Jannik Sinner is simply the best. Then there are the rest – including seventh-ranked American Ben Shelton, who was dispatched routinely on Friday as Sinner won his 24th consecutive match on indoor hard courts.
There didn’t seem to be much Shelton could do as Sinner made the sublime look routine and marched to a 6-3, 6-3 victory to reach the semifinals at the Rolex Paris Masters.
Shelton is a heck of a player, and on the rise as he navigates his first season as a member of the Top 10. The 23-year-old just qualified for the ATP Finals for the first time this week, in fact, but Friday’s tussle with the Italian was more direct proof that the ATP’s Top 2 players are a cut above than the rest.
Sinner has now won seven matches on the trot against Shelton, and claimed each of the pair’s last 17 sets. He improves to 51-6 overall as he reaches his first semifinal at the Paris Masters.
The 24-year-old Italian has not lost an indoor hard court match since the start of his 2023 Davis Cup finals. He’ll face either Alexander Zverev or Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals on Saturday.
Sinner broke Shelton’s serve twice in the opening set, and dropped just five points on serve as he built a 6-3 lead in 34 minutes.
Shelton, who defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets on Thursday, only won two of eight second service points in the set.
Shelton appeared to be headed towards a drubbing but he fought back to regain a break in the fifth game, punching a forhehand winner and celebrating with gusto as the crowd roared its approval.
His momentum was short-lived, as Sinner broke again for 5-3, his fourth break of the evening all but seasing the former Florida Gator’s fate. Sinner converted his second break point of the game when Shelton’s fifth double-fault – and first of the set – hit the net.
Shelton drops to 0-14 against the ATP’s Top-3 with the loss. He’ll get more chances in November when he makes his ATP Finals debut in Turin.
