Shelton stops Stan to reach Basel QF

Stan Wawrinka’s hopes for a respectable home showing at the Swiss Indoors were ended on Thursday as Ben Shelton dealt him a 7-6 (2), 7-5 loss in the second round.

The 39-year-old Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion playing this home event for the 17th time, had his moments of brilliance but was unable to overcome an opponent 17 years his junior.

Shelton, son of a former ATP pro, moved into a Friday quarter-final against  top seed Andrey Rublev.

The American winner finished on his first match point in 95 minutes.

“Stan has been on Tour for as long as I’ve lived,” the 22-year-old said of the veteran Swiss.

“He’s done incredible things for the sport. I had to smile during the match.

“The crowd was against me but it’s cool to see a tournament and a country get behind a guy like that who’s been such an icon.”

Shelton will be playing his ninth quarter-final of the season.

“This match was tough in the big moments, there were a lot of challenges; he played a good match.

“The crowd was really behind their guy. I struggled at times to return his serve but I’m happy with how I defended my break points.

‘I played clutch at the important moments and that’s what made the difference.”