Arthur Fils accelerated to a third-round spot Sunday on the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the place the #NextGenATP Frenchman downed twenty fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 7-5 to underline his credentials as one of many largest rising skills on Tour.

The World No. 44 Fils hit 22 winners en path to an 83-minute win on the Qizhong Tennis Middle. He broke Davidovich Fokina’s serve twice in every set to avenge his defeats to the Spaniard earlier this yr at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Locked in 😤@ArthurFils1 overcomes Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 7-5 to succeed in the third spherical in Shanghai.#RolexShanghaiMasters | @SH_RolexMasters pic.twitter.com/PS2FHu1pTN

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 8, 2023

Together with his win, Fils secured back-to-back main-draw victories at an ATP Masters 1000 occasion for the primary time. He arrived in Shanghai with a 1-3 file at that degree, however will now tackle twelfth seed Tommy Paul within the third spherical after confidently shifting previous Pavel Kotov and Davidovich Fokina in China.

Fils is now 16-13 for the season, a tally which incorporates lifting his maiden ATP Tour crown in Could in Lyon. Sunday’s victory can also be a lift for the 19-year-old as he appears to be like to safe a debut look on the season-ending Subsequent Gen ATP Finals. He’s at the moment fifth within the Pepperstone ATP Dwell Race To Jeddah.

One other #NextGenATP star, Ben Shelton, additionally trod new floor on Sunday in Shanghai. The American booked a fourth-round berth at a Masters 1000 occasion for the primary time with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph in opposition to the in-form Roman Safiullin.

Shelton’s booming lefty serve proved essential to his two-hour, eight-minute win in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head conflict with Chengdu finalist Safiullin. The 20-year-old received 81 per cent (48/59) of factors behind his first supply en path to a victory that consolidates his place in third within the Pepperstone ATP Dwell Race To Jeddah.

Subsequent up for Shelton in Shanghai is a primary tour-level conflict with Jannik Sinner. The sixth seed defeated Sebastian Baez 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 afterward Sunday.