Retro - Basel 2024: The Day Shelton Took Down Top Seed Rublev
On October 25, 2024 in Basel, a high-level quarterfinal between two male tour "punchers" took place: Andrey Rublev and Ben Shelton. After a battle, it was Shelton who emerged victorious, though not without difficulty.
From the first set, the two men went blow for blow. On paper, Rublev seemed the favorite (the number 1 seed) and had everything needed to win. However, Shelton proved ultra-efficient with the few opportunities he managed to create (2/2 break points converted), unlike his opponent (0/6).
Result: three tight sets and a victory for the American after a 2-hour 14-minute battle (7-5, 6-7, 6-4).
What came next? The road to the title wasn't over, but this quarterfinal laid the foundation. Shelton would go on to defeat Arthur Fils in the semifinals, before falling to another French player: Mpetshi Perricard in the final (6-4, 7-6).
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