Ben Shelton continued his impressive run at the Paris Masters by defeating Arthur Rinderknech in the round of 16.

The American lost the first set to the Frenchman, but battled back to win the next two sets 6-4, 7-6 to set up a quarterfinals clash with compatriot Tommy Paul.

Shelton has broken new ground in the 2026 season and he is hoping to put the cherry on top of the cake with the final two events in Paris and Turin, before he joins up with new coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.

The American claimed his second Masters title at the Canadian Open and followed it up by reaching his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, which has helped him reach a career ranking high of world No 4 on the ATP Tour rankings.

But there is a hidden statistic this season that put Shelton above every single one of his ATP Tour rivals.

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The star has notched up the best record in men’s tennis after losing the first set. He’s won 14 matches after losing the first set in 2026, which is more than anyone else on the ATP Tour.

Shelton holds a 53.8% per cent winning rate after losing the first set this season, which is considerably up from the 31.9% he managed in 2025.

His ability to bounce back from a setback has helped him achieve some of his best results of the season too. He won three matches in a row on his way to the Dallas Open title after losing the first set, against Miomir Kecmanovic, Denis Shapovalov, and Taylor Fritz.

He did the same during his Stuttgart Open title triumph, as he lost the first set to Marcos Giron, Sho Shimabukuro, and Jiri Lehecka, before going on to win.

During his run to the US Open final, also battled to victory after losing the first set against Tallon Griekspoor, Carlos Alcaraz, and Frances Tiafoe.

In fact, Shelton remains the only player in 2026 to defeat Alcaraz after losing the first set, so he has notched another record this season as a result.

While it could be argued that maybe Shelton is a slow started, his mental ability to bounce back absolutely has to be praised.

Without it, it’s very unlikely the star would be top five player this year, or a Grand Slam finalist. It’s become Shelton’s calling card and he rightfully sits above every other player on the ATP Tour in that aspect as a result.

Shelton’s Paris Masters campaign is set to continue on Friday, 6th November, in his quarterfinal clash with Paul.