Ben Shelton returned from the US Open's left shoulder injury at the Shanghai Masters to play David Goffin and was met with an major upset.
The sixth-seeded player, who returned to the court for the first time since his US Open third round retirement, was beaten 6-2, 6-4 by Goffin on Friday, October 3 in a second-round match.
Shelton's shocking defeat against the Belgian player has put an obvious dent in his hopes to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy beginning November 9.
The 22-year-old is currently sixth in the points race for Turin, with eight making the finals. But his Friday loss could cost him the tournament.
"It' the first time that I've put myself in a good position, at this point in the year, to make Turin," Shelton told the ATP Tour website this week and ahead of his match against Goffin, sharing that despite the five-week break, he is hopeful.
He added, "Hopefully I get a couple more good results and get over the line."
In another second-round match, American Frances Tiafoe, seeded 25th, lost 6-7 (9), 6-2, 6-1 to Germany's Yannick Hanfmann.
Moreover, the top-seeded players in Shanghai all received first-round byes. No. 4 Novak Djokovic and fifth-seeded Taylor Fritz were scheduled to play later Friday.
While, Jannik Sinner, who won the China Open final in Beijing on Wednesday, and was attended the Shelton vs Goffin clash from the audience, was not scheduled to play until Saturday.
Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Fritz in the Japan Open final, announced after his win in Tokyo that he would not play at Shanghai due to some minor ailments.
