Ben Shelton comments on what he is trying to improve on court after winning his opening Shanghai Masters match

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Ben Shelton has made great strides since he burst onto the ATP Tour in the summer of 2022 and he is only getting better.

The 21-year-old reached a career-high ranking of 13 in August and already has two titles and a Grand Slam semi-final appearance to his name.

The American has the weapons to cause more damage on the ATP Tour and he is continuing to refine his talent as he aims to break into the ATP’s top 10.

Shelton has made a solid start to the Shanghai Masters and a strong run at the Masters 1000 event will go a long way to helping him achieve that.

What is Ben Shelton looking to improve?

Ben Shelton is one of the brightest young talents on the ATP Tour and he possesses a great serve and fearsome groundstrokes.

Ahead of facing Denis Shapovalov at the Shanghai Masters, Shelton spoke of his desire to continue improving his physicality, movement and approaching the net.

But after Shelton secured a 6-3, 7-5 win over Shapovalov on Friday, he is keen to improve from a mental standpoint. “I’m trying to work on being a little bit more calm and focused on the court,” the World number 16 explained.

“I think that it’s important for my evolution, and in the evolution of my game, that I continue to be able to focus for extended periods of time and really lock in to play at a higher level for more than one set.

“I thought I did a great job of that today. I’m happy with the way that I stayed committed to my game style and stayed focused out there.”

Ben Shelton is searching for his first Masters 1000 title in Shanghai

Shelton arrived in Shanghai after failing to defend his Tokyo Open title, before suffering an early exit from the US Open.

In between those tournaments, Shelton was part of Team World who suffered a 11-13 defeat to Team Europe at the Laver Cup.

But Shelton has put those results in the rearview mirror and is focused on trying to win his first Masters 1000 title in Shanghai.

He has made an impressive start, as he secured his third straight win over Shapovalov to reach the next round where he will play Spain’s Roberto Carballés Baena.

“I think some of the tendencies and things that I expected, he changed it up today,” Shelton said about his opponent’s performance. “I was looking for a few things and was surprised by some of the things he did on the court.”