Trust Ben Shelton to come up with some antics on a tennis court. At the Swiss Indoors in Basel, play was stopped before his match against Andrey Rublev due to smoke erupting across the arena. Shelton was having none of it though, as he tried to put out the smoke with a small towel by standing on the court.
Whether Shelton was trying to be hilarious or ridiculous by doing that, the goofy act entertained Rublev for sure. The Russian star was seen smiling at what was happening in front of him.
Rublev is known for his poor temperament on the court on most occasions, having a difficult 2024 season especially. The top 10 star’s aggression often gets the better of him, especially when he loses. And many believe that it comes in the way of his talent not shining brightly as it should.
In Basel, though, Rublev’s smile was the highlight of that match. The video of that incident has gone viral on social media, and fans could not resist commenting on it and being pleased with his reaction.
Wow. Smoke suspends play in Basel pic.twitter.com/VugO0NDr8Y
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 25, 2024
Find someone who looks at you like Rublev looks at smoke pic.twitter.com/58ToTFkRCP
— Greg Solon (@gregsolon) October 25, 2024
You have to love Rublev’s face. It’s good to see him smile
— Lili (@Lili_PGH) October 25, 2024
Its been a long time since I’ve seen Rublev smile like that on court
— Kyle (@thatoneguykyle4) October 25, 2024
Damn that Rublev smile looked so funny
— Eustace (@eustace_on7) October 25, 2024
The last time Andrey Rublev probably smiled like that was when he won the Madrid Masters 2024. After the match, Rublev wrote ‘Samadhi’ on the camera with delight, which meant freedom and forgiving oneself. There was hope that the Russian had overcome his problems with that dominant performance, but it did not turn out that way.
Nevertheless, Rublev had a lighthearted moment in Basel. And beyond that, he should be pleased with the tough fight he put up against Shelton.
Shelton beat Rublev in a Swiss Indoors classic
Rublev was supposedly the favorite to beat Shelton on a surface favoring the Russian more. It was Shelton though, who clinched the first set 7-5 after managing to breach Rublev’s serve. The American youngster improved on his return game.
However, Rublev showed a lot of tenacity and demonstrated why he is amongst the top 10 players in the world, winning the second set in a tie-break 7-6 (7-3). When it came to the decider, though, Shelton got back his focus just in time and played one of his best sets in the 2024 season.
Rublev did not show any signs of irritation as he knew he lost to a better opponent. Shelton won the final set 6-4 and made it to the semifinals, where he went on to beat Arthur Fils in straight sets.
Shelton will play another Frenchman in the final, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. On the other hand, Rublev will next compete in the Paris Masters 2024, hoping to qualify for the ATP Finals, where Novak Djokovic might challenge him.
