Shelton storms back in tiebreak turnaround

Ben Shelton rallied from 0-5 in a second set tiebreaker on Saturday as the American edged past Arthur Fils for a place in the final of the Swiss Indoors.

The sixth-seeded winner will compete for his second ATP 500 title on Sunday against either 2022 finalist Holger Rune or another Frenchman in Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Shelton had to stage a fightback as he trailed 0-5 in the tiebreaker after winning the opening set against one of his friends on the Tour.

The 23-year-old saved fie set points and profited on his own second match point as Fils sliced a return just wide after 78 minutes.

Shelton won the Houston title on clay this season and also owns the 500 title from Tokyo in 2023.

His defeat of Fils earned revenge for a loss he took this month in the Japanese capital to his friend, who went on to lift that title.

 “That was a crazy match; down 5-0 in the breaker and coming back is something never done before,” Shelton said.

“”It took a lot of heart, I was willing myself to win. This was a great match for handling pressure.”

The winner who has not been broken this week in Basel said he had to mix up his game after his loss just a few weeks ago to Fils, a fellow top 20 Tour player.

.”I had to change my game plan a bit; He really likes my style and can make me pay.

“I had to hit harder than I’m comfortable with but did a great job of controlling the ball, since he can rip it off of both sides.”

Shelton said he was helped by “clarity of mind” in his victory.

“I’ve felt really good since I got here, I feel comfortable and like the court conditions. I’m looking to compete well for my third career title.”