Ben Shelton will only spend a week outside the ATP Top 20 this year after securing a spot at the Swiss Indoors Basel with a straight-set victory over World No. 20 Arthur Fils, 6-3, 7-6(9).
Shelton didn’t face a break point in the 78-minute semi-final and won 88% (45/51) of his first serves against Fils. Still, the match looked destined for a third set when Fils went up 5-1 in the second-set tiebreak. Shelton rallied to secure his spot in the finals.
“I served really well today, and I had to because I know what Arthur is capable of when he touches the ball,” said Shelton after the match. “The goal was to let him know I got clean hits on the ball as much as possible, and I executed really well. He served well, so there weren’t that many long points. A really high-level match and I’m not sure how I pulled that tie-break out in the second set.”
Shelton faces 21-year-old Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who upset fourth-seeded Holger Rune in the other semi-final match. Rune is also 21, and Fils is 20. At just 22, Shelton is the veteran of the four semi-finalists.
“I think that shows how strong our next-gen is,” he said. “I’m the oldest of the four, so that’s kind of crazy to think about. Probably the first time that’s happened to me in the semi-finals.”
Mpetshi Perricard holds the head-to-head advantage over Shelton, beating him in the Round of 32 at the Cinch Championships in London this June. The championship match will begin not before 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, following the doubles final.
Shelton is guaranteed to move up to at least No. 19 in the world with a chance to move to No. 18 with a tournament victory.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Ben Shelton secures spot in 2024 Swiss Indoors finals
