Three losses out of four matches. That has been Ben Shelton‘s record after reaching the US Open final. The American lost both his Davis Cup ties in mid-September, and in his next tournament since then, the World No. 4 could win only one match at the Shanghai Masters, making a third-round exit. While it was not a great result for Shelton, it was a special day for his opponent, 21-year-old Arthur Gea, who ticked off a major career milestone with his win.

“It has been an incredible few weeks,” Gea said after the match. “I changed my game a lot. I am more confident on the court. It has been a really good year at the moment. I hope it keeps going.”

Gea was not throwing away the word ‘confidence’ casually, as the Frenchman’s performance against Shelton had an abundance of it. He was not intimidated by the Shelton serve, as he went for deep baseline returns, breaking the American’s serve three times in the match. He was not engaging in too many defensive rallies and played a signature down-the-line forehand whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Apart from his tactics, Gea showed confidence in how he mentally reset during the match. At 5-4, the Frenchman had the opportunity to serve the first set out, but could not as Shelton played some great volleys to level it up at 5-5. The 21-year-old was visibly frustrated, as he hit his racket on his shoes. However, Gea was able to refocus in the first-set tiebreak, playing a calculated drop shot to force Shelton into an error at 6-5, winning the opening set.

The second set once again needed Gea to be resilient, as it was Shelton who had the upper hand when he broke serve to go 4-3 up. With the reputation that Shelton’s serve has, it would have been difficult for any player to regroup and attack in the next return game. Gea did exactly that, retrieving the break in the very next game. In the second set tiebreak, the Frenchman played percentage tennis, going for his aggressive forehand to get the minibreak at 2-0, which was enough for him to close out the match.

The win was Gea’s first against a Top-10 opponent, and to do it against the US Open runner-up makes it even more special for the young Frenchman. This win, however, did not come in isolation for the Frenchman. Gradually going up the ranks on the ITF circuits in the last two seasons, 2026 has been the first prominent season for Gea, who won his maiden Tour-level title in Los Cabos in August, along with reaching three Challenger finals, including a title at the Noumea Challenger.

Gea also had his Grand Slam breakthrough this year, reaching the fourth round at the US Open as a lucky loser, where he won some epic five-set matches. As for Shelton, the American is still in the hunt for a spot at the ATP Finals and will hope for a good outing during the indoor season, while Gea will aim for a deep run in Shanghai.

Ben Shelton Will Aim for a Good Indoor Season While Arthur Gea Aims Deep Shanghai Run

Currently ranked 48 on the ATP Rankings, Gea will look to go deep in Shanghai, as a good run at a Masters event will help the Frenchman move up the rankings, something that will come in handy for deciding the seedings for the Australian Open next year. Having gone past Shelton, Gea will either face Francisco Cerundolo or Jakub Mensik in the fourth round.

On the other hand, Shelton will look to move past this loss and get going in the indoor season. The American is No. 4 on the Race Rankings and is all but assured a qualification spot in Turin, especially after Jannik Sinner ended his 2026 season.

Shelton has a decent record on indoor courts, having reached the 2024 final of the Swiss Indoors, where he lost to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The American won an indoor title in Dallas this year and will be keen to win his fifth title of the season in the final stretch.