BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — Ben Shelton knocked out top-seeded Andrey Rublev in the Swiss Indoors quarterfinals in his first matchup with the Russian on Friday.
Shelton won 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-4, saving the six break points he faced, and converting the only two he forced.
He’s reached his fifth semifinal from nine quarters this year.
“I struggled a lot this year in quarterfinals and I’ve lost a lot of them against top 10 players,” Shelton said. “It’s been a tough hump to overcome. To get to the second-to-last week of the year and finally do it is huge for me. Especially with the way I was able to overcome everything Rublev threw at me.”
The American will face one of his best friends on tour, Arthur Fils of France, whom he lost to last month in the Tokyo quarterfinals.
