"Hard to find words": Ben Shelton reflects on breakthrough season after Paris Masters defeat

America’s young tennis Ben Shelton posted an emotional message after his season ended following a disappointing outing in the French capital.

The 21-year-old suffered a shocking defeat to Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the round of 64 of the Paris Masters with a score of 7-6, 5-7, 6-3.

Shelton took to the social media platform Instagram where he expressed his feelings after playing the full ATP tour.

"Hard to find words to describe the season I had in my first year out on tour. So here are some of the people I got to share it with that made it special. See y’all down under," he wrote.

Shelton is often regarded as one of the most highly-rated youngsters in the men’s singles tennis currently playing in the circuit.

He lived up to the hype in the recently concluded US Open 2023 by qualifying for the semifinal of the competition.

However, his journey ended there as he lost to the current world number one and Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic with a score of 6-3, 6-2, 7-6.

Shelton also went on to win his maiden ATP title this year as he lifted the trophy in Tokyo after beating Russia’s Aslan Karatsev in the final in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-1.