Shelton savors his victory against Cobolli: "It's the first time since the US Open that I feel like myself"

Ben Shelton was the first player to qualify for the round of 16 at the Paris Masters 1000.

On Tuesday evening, Shelton secured his third consecutive victory against Flavio Cobolli (7-6, 6-3). After a tight first set, the American, who was as solid as ever on serve, eventually gained the upper hand over the Italian.

The world No. 7 will face Andrey Rublev this Thursday for a spot in the quarter-finals. In a press conference, the winner of this year's Toronto Masters 1000 shared his initial thoughts after defeating the world No. 23.

"Today (Tuesday) was the first time I felt this good since my injury at the US Open. I spent a lot of time in training trying to get back to my best, especially with my movement.

It's the first time since the US Open that I feel like myself. I was very effective with my serve today, I got a lot of free points. I was able to make things difficult for him on his serve, with rallies.

I felt like he really had to play his best tennis to win the point. It's always tough playing against him. He's a showman and an excellent player. Every time we've faced each other, we've played high-level matches.

I think we bring out the best in each other. He's a rising star, he has a lot of talent. He has a big personality. I think the fans love to watch him play," Shelton assured Tennis Up To Date.