Ben Shelton has fallen to a second straight defeat on his ATP Finals debut, losing to Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime on Wednesday.
The American, who has risen to world number five on the ATP Tour, was defeated 6-4, 6-7, 5-7 by his Canadian opponent.
Shelton, who was defeated by Alexander Zverev in his first ATP Finals match, will now look to keep his semi-final qualification hopes alive against Jannik Sinner on Thursday.
Shelton failed to hit a single ace for over an hour against Auger-Aliassime and will therefore need to demonstrate a greater level of consistency on his first serve if he hopes to defeat the world number two.
The 22-year-old’s serve was not the only issue, however.
Bryan Shelton told Ben Shelton that Felix Auger-Aliassime was hitting too many forehands
Felix Auger-Aliassime has one of the best forehands on Tour. The Canadian has historically preferred to hit the forehand instead of the backhand, which has been an inconsistent shot throughout his career.
During the Canadian’s contest on Wednesday, Bryan Shelton – the father and coach of Ben Shelton – was overheard offering some tactical advice to his son regarding the Canadian’s forehand.
Tim Henman, who offered his take on Wednesday’s clash, revealed Bryan Shelton’s tactical advice.
Speaking on air for Sky Sports, Henman said: “I was watching Auger-Aliassime closely because he can suddenly miss by eight or 10 feet. I asked the question: why is that? It’s not technical, I don’t know if sometimes he gets a little bit nervous.
“But when you have been able to come through a lot of matches and big matches against big players in big tournaments, it gives you the belief.
“There were times where he definitely upped his consistency in the third set.
“We heard Ben Shelton’s Father and coach, Bryan, saying he is hitting too many forehands. Auger-Aliassime is hitting too many forehands, you have to break the sidelines to get to his backhand, which as a left-hander you can do.
“But there is no doubt, and you can see by his reaction of Auger-Aliassime and his team once he got over the line, what this meant to him.”
Tim Henman reflects on Felix Auger-Aliassime’s form
The latter half of 2025 has treated Felix Auger-Aliassime well. After years of being ranked around the top 25 on the ATP Tour, the talented Canadian has taken a step back up the rankings, rising to world number eight.
The Canadian, whose best surface is clearly indoor hard-courts, has reached the US Open semi-finals, appeared in the Paris Masters final, and won the Brussels Open in recent months.
Henman, a former British number one, reflected on the Canadian’s recent form.
He said: “When you reflect on the semifinals at the US Open, he was a set all with Sinner, and the second set was highly impressive tennis.
“He has backed it up into the Autumn and played brilliantly in Paris to get to the final, and came up against Sinner again.
“He is trending in the right direction. He has been trending this way in the past and then had some dips in form, but I think now he has far greater experience and understanding, so a stronger platform to build from not just this week but into 2026.”
Auger-Aliassime will face Alexander Zverev in his final ATP Finals contest, with the winner qualifying for the semi-final stage.
Auger-Aliassime has a 3-6 record against the German. However, the 25-year-old defeated Zverev in their last matchup in the US Open third round.
