Boris Becker brings up Denis Shapovalov's disqualification against Ben Shelton as he reacts to American beating the latter at Shanghai Masters

Tennis legend Boris Becker recently commented on the second round clash between Ben Shelton and Denis Shapovalov at the 2024 Shanghai Masters, mentioning Shapovalov’s disqualification at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The match in Shanghai saw Shelton defeating the Canadian to advance to the third round at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.

Notably, when the two met in the quarterfinals at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in August, Shapovalov was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct after throwing his racket onto the court and yelling at a fan. As a result, Shelton got a walkover to the semi-finals, where he eventually lost against Flavio Cobolli.

In Shanghai, Shelton continued his impressive run in the opening rounds this season as he got past Shapovalov 6-3, 7-5. Denis Shapovalov, who got to the main draw after getting past Hsu Yu-hsiou and Sho Shimabukuro in the qualifiers, had defeated Lorenzo Sonego in the first round.

After Ben Shelton’s victory over Shapovalov, the Canadian congratulated Shelton in a lighthearted tone during the post-match exchange, saying:

“Maybe one of these times, I won’t run into you when I am having a run,” Shapovalov said.

The video was later shared by TennisTV on their Instagram account, where Boris Becker reacted by hinting at Shapovalov's disqualification at an earlier tournament, writing:

“No default this time 🙌👏”

Screenshot of Boris Becker's comment on Tennis TV's Instagram post. Credits - IG/ @tennistv

With this, Ben Shelton leads the head-to-head against his Canadian opponent 3-0. The American will face Spain’s Roberto Carballés Baena in the third round.

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Boris Becker reacts to Ben Shelton winning his second ATP career title in April 2024

Ben Shelton kisses the trophy at the U.S. Mens Clay Court Championships (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)

Ben Shelton won the ATP Houston after overcoming the challenge from compatriot Frances Tiafoe 7-5,4-6,6-3. Notably, this was Shelton's second ATP title overall and first on clay.

Following this sensational triumph, he was congratulated by the likes of Coco Gauff, Diego Schwartzman, and Zizou Bergs.

Becker also joined in to congratulate the 21-year-old by sharing a post on his Instagram story which featured Shelton and his father, Bryan Shelton, writing:

“Great achievement! I did play your father few times...”

Bryan Shelton is a former professional tennis player who played competitively between 1989 and 1997, winning two singles and two doubles ATP Tour titles. Currently, the 58-year-old coaches his son, Ben.