Ben Shelton Falls in the Second Round in Basel

Three times in one season, Jaume Munar has found the key to defeating Ben Shelton, one of the biggest servers on the tour. By winning in Basel, the Spaniard has scored one of his best victories of the season.

Jaume Munar, often underestimated, has once again defied all predictions. Facing Ben Shelton, the American rising star, the Spaniard produced very high-quality tennis. The proof is in his 89% of points won behind his first serve as well as his 21 winners.

Moreover, this is the third time this season that Munar has beaten Shelton: in the second round of Dallas in February (indoor hard): 6-2, 7-6, in the second round of Rome in May (clay): 6-2, 6-1, and finally in Basel this week (indoor hard): 6-3, 6-4.

Long labeled as a pure clay-court player, Munar is showing spectacular progress on hard courts this season: quarterfinals in Winston-Salem, round of 16 at the US Open and in Shanghai. What's next? A major challenge against Félix Auger-Aliassime, who has been resurgent in recent weeks, for a spot in the semifinals.

On his side, Shelton has been struggling since his return from injury and could lose his 6th place in the Race to the Masters this week.