Ben Shelton booked an intriguing quarterfinal clash with top seed Andrey Rublev at the Swiss Indoors Basel, edging home favorite past Stan Wawrinka, 7-6 (2), 7-5.
“I thought I was just tough in the big moments,” he said on court after the match. “There was a lot of challenges out there today, but I thought he played a really good match. The crowd was really into it, obviously, behind their guy.
“I was struggling to return his serve, and I thought he put the ball in some tricky positions. I was happy with the way I defended my break points, and being clutch in the big moments is what won me the match today.”
The American continued a solid progress through the indoor swing, the sixth seed edging past the former world No. 3 in 95 minutes on Center Court.
At 22, Shelton has shown steady improvements since his breakout 2023 season, during which he reached his first major semifinal at the US Open. Though he fell in five sets to fellow American Frances Tiafoe in Flushing Meadows last month, he has shown solid form with the off-season in sight, pulling off a comeback win over Daniil Medvedev at Laver up and playing world No. 1 Jannik Sinner tough over two sets at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
Playing indoors in Basel, Shelton’s lefty serve makes him a formidable opposition, and he is yet to drop a set heading into the last eight. But first, he had to get past Wawrinka, a three-time major champion still capable of vintage form.
