Tennis-Gea sends Shelton crashing out of Shanghai

Oct 11 (Reuters) US Open finalist Ben Shelton conceded he had been outplayed after suffering a shock 7-6(5) 7-6(3) defeat by France s Arthur Gea in the third round of ​the Shanghai Masters on Sunday. World number four Shelton, ‌who has barely played since losing to Alexander Zverev in September s US Open final and withdrew from the Japan Open due to fitness concerns, lost both sets against the world number 56 in tight tiebreakers. Asked if his ‌recent ​lack of action had had an effect ⁠on him, Shelton told ⁠reporters: I mean, I got outplayed today. The guy played better than me. A hundred percent, I would have liked to have come over here earlier and be prepared and have already ​dealt with the jet lag by the time I was playing here in the Shanghai Masters. My body wasn t ready. ⁠I wasn t physically ready to play in ⁠Tokyo. That s just the way this tour is ​sometimes. The 24-year-old American said he was focused on finishing his 2026 ​campaign on a high note at the season-end