Ben Shelton faces no competition from Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, but keeps talking about them

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are no competition for Ben Shelton in Basel this week, since neither is in the tournament’s draw. That doesn’t mean Shelton believes he has surpassed the two players who have dominated the ATP Tour. In a recent interview, he was asked whether their dominance was fading, and the American rejected the suggestion as unfair.

The circumstances are different for each player. Sinner, the world No. 1, has ended his season because of a knee injury and is targeting a return in 2027. Alcaraz, ranked No. 3, is competing at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, which takes place the same week as the Basel tournament. Shelton, meanwhile, is ranked No. 4 and is the top seed in Switzerland.

Shelton defended Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominance

Before the tournament began, Shelton pointed to their results as a reason not to count them out: they have won two of the four Grand Slam tournaments played this year, while Sinner has claimed five Masters 1000 titles. Shelton said he expects both players to be in excellent shape for the 2027 Australian Open and called their time away from the Tour a loss for tennis.

He also acknowledged that younger players are increasingly challenging for the biggest titles. Still, he rejected the idea that Alcaraz and Sinner are losing their supremacy, saying that would be unfair. His comments recognized what the two have achieved; he wasn’t suggesting they had stopped being a threat.

Shelton’s most recent matches against Alcaraz and Sinner

Shelton’s latest match against Alcaraz ended in a major win for the American. He defeated the Spaniard in a five-set US Open quarterfinal, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7). The match ended at 3:33 a.m. It was Shelton’s first win over Alcaraz, though the Spaniard still leads their head-to-head series 2-1.

His most recent meeting with Sinner had a different outcome. The Italian beat Shelton in straight sets in the Australian Open quarterfinals, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, extending his lead in their head-to-head series to 9-1.

Shelton began his Basel campaign against fellow American Aleksandar Kovacevic and survived a tight three-set match, winning 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-6(4). He’ll face Swiss wild card Jerome Kym in the round of 16 on Thursday, Oct. 29. The start time has not yet been announced. In the United States, the tournament is available on Tennis Channel.