The Swiss Indoors semi-final clash between Arthur Fils and Ben Shelton on Saturday generated significant buzz for various reasons. The two rising stars in tennis share a close friendship outside of the court and often team up as doubles partners. Yet, when placed on opposite sides of the court, they would go to great lengths to win and have the last laugh.
Given their 1-1 head-to-head record heading into their last-four match in Basel, predicting the winner was difficult. Both players started well, but Shelton raced away with the first set, winning it 6-3. Fils refused to give up though and fought valiantly in the second set, forcing a tiebreak. At one point, the Frenchman was 5-0 and 6-3 up in the tiebreak but couldn’t see it out. After a long and tedious battle, the American won.
But what thrilled many fans was their camaraderie at the end of the game. Instead of the customary post-match handshake, Shelton hugged Fils tightly. The Frenchman was also proud of his doubles partner, as he was seen patting his back and congratulating him.
Despite losing the hard-fought match, Fils’ reaction and attitude impressed many, showcasing what tennis truly is about. This could also make the Frenchman a potential contender for the ATP’s coveted Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship of the Year Award.
This is the second time this year when Fils demonstrated goodness despite a match being that intense or facing a controversy. Earlier in the summer, in the Hamburg Open 2024 final against Alexander Zverev, the Frenchman cleverly attempted an underarm serve to trick Zverev, something which the German did not appreciate.
Zverev and Fils had a little beef about it, but after the youngster won the title, that chapter was forgotten as he was all smiles and congratulated the hometown hero for his performance.
I love that Ben Shelton and Arthur Fills bring true fire out of each other on the tennis court, and can still keep up good camaraderie after leaving it all out there.
Great to see pic.twitter.com/06akp61dAw
— Myles David (@TunedIntoTennis) October 26, 2024
Coming back to the Swiss Indoors, Shelton’s win also allowed him to avenge his 5-7, 7-6, 6-7 quarterfinal loss to Fils in Tokyo. After improving their head-to-head record to 2-1, the American is set to face another Frenchman, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, for the title.
Shelton gunning for revenge against Perricard
The World No.23 has been turning heads this season with his impressive performances. The southpaw is fresh from winning the Ultimate Tennis Showdown’s recent tournament in Frankfurt. He also defeated No.1 seed Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals and is a clear favorite to beat the 50th-ranked Frenchman.
Having said that, Shelton does not have a good H2H record against Mpetshi Perricard. In the only clash between them, the 21-year-old Frenchman defeated the southpaw at Queen’s Club in June.
Shelton will be eager to exact revenge on Mpetshi Perricard in the Swiss Indoors final. However, it will not be easy against the 6’8″ Frenchman, who is also full of confidence after defeating fourth seed Holger Rune in the semifinals.
With momentum on both sides, it will be interesting to see who emerges victorious in the final. Fans can watch the action live on Tennis Channel from 10:30 a.m. EST on Sunday.
