Ben Shelton celebrated his 24th birthday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters by defeating Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) in the second round on Oct. 9, advancing to his third opening match win at the tournament in two years and dismissing any plans for a traditional celebration by declaring he dislikes cake.
Shelton Advances Past Altmaier at Rolex Shanghai Masters
On court against world No. 67 Altmaier of Germany, Shelton secured a single break in the sixth game of the opening set to take the lead.
The second set proved tighter as both players traded a break apiece before forcing a tiebreak. Shelton edged the extra session 8-6 to seal the straight-sets victory in two sets, avoiding a deciding third set.
Birthday Reflections and Post-Match Comments
Asked during his on-court interview if he planned to eat birthday cake, Shelton responded with a smile, No, I hate cake. I don’t like it at all.
He added, Honestly, I don’t care about my birthday. But I’m happy to move on to the next round here.
Assessing his opponent’s performance, Shelton noted that Altmaier possesses high-level skills and handles the American’s playing style effectively. It wasn’t an easy match to close out, but I’m satisfied with how I finished it,
Shelton said, acknowledging a shaky game in the second set that allowed Altmaier back in before regaining control in the tiebreak.
Third-Round Opponent Arthur Cazaux Awaits
With the second-round win secured, Shelton advances to the third round of the Rolex Shanghai Masters to face world No. 56 Arthur Cazaux of France. Cazaux earned his place in the next round by defeating 30th seed Ugo Humbert.
