The race to the ATP Finals in Turin is going right down to the wire for the last few spots. Apart from the top three leaders, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic, everyone else is still fighting to secure their spots in the 8-man final. Among them are also two American stars, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton. However, Fritz (in fifth) and Shelton (in sixth)’s bid to qualify for Turin has just hit a snag.

With not a whole lot separating the players in the bottom half of the top 8 in the Race to Turin rankings, every result and every tournament counts. For Fritz and Shelton, deep runs in Basel were crucial to consolidate their positions, but the two top seeds unexpectedly wound up losing their respective Round of 16 matches.

First it was Fritz who lost to France’s Ugo Humbert in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Then, Shelton, recovering from the shoulder injury sustained at the US Open, lost to Spain’s Jaume Munar, 6-3, 6-4. “Their Turin qualification is delayed…” wrote journalist Jose Morgado on X after their losses. With Alex de Minaur, Lorenzo Musetti, and Felix Auger-Aliassime closely trailing behind, the early exit could potentially displace either Fritz or Shelton from the top 8.

With this result, Fritz and Shelton’s ATP Finals qualification has been delayed. Fritz has previously competed in two editions of the ATP Finals. In 2022, he made his debut, reaching the semis before losing to Novak Djokovic.

Last year, he succeeded in entering the summit clash. Unfortunately, he couldn’t overcome the challenge of Jannik Sinner. On the other hand, Shelton is awaiting his first year-end finals appearance. However, even with the loss, he’s very much in the mix for Turin.

A look at the Live Race to Turin and Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton’s chances of qualification

Taylor Fritz is currently placed fifth in the live Race to Turin, with 3,885 points. He currently leads compatriot Shelton (6th), Alex De Minaur (7th), Lorenzo Musetti (8th), Felix Auger-Aliassime (9th), and Jack Draper (10th). Making a deep run, or winning the trophy, in the upcoming Paris Masters will confirm Fritz’s qualification.

Ben Shelton is in 6th with 3,770 points. To fend off the opposition, the 22-year-old needs to reach the business end of the Paris Masters or win the title.  Before the Swiss Indoors, he played in Shanghai earlier this month but lost in the first match. As Shelton continues to find his rhythm after his injury, he will hope to recapture his form from earlier in the season.

At the Citi Open in July, he entered the semis before capturing his maiden Masters 1000 title. In Toronto, he bested Karen Khachanov in the summit clash to win the Canadian Open. In the next tournament as well, he went on to reach the semis in Cincinnati before his momentum was halted by the shoulder injury in New York. “It’s the first time that I’ve put myself in a good position, at this point in the year, to make Turin,” he said. “Hopefully I get a couple more good results and get over the line.”

The final weeks of the season are upon us, and all eyes are on the standings to see which eight players finally end up making it to Turin. Will both Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz go through? Let us know your predictions below.