By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, September 29, 2024
Arthur Fils fought off defending-champion Ben Shelton 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) in a three-hour thriller to advance to his eighth career semifinal at the Japan Open.
Photo credit: Philip Wong/AFP/Getty
Dizzying drama spiked to a third-set Tokyo tiebreaker.
Arthur Fils faced stress with a committed forward burst.
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The 20-year-old Fils fought off defending-champion Ben Shelton 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) in a three-hour thriller to advance to his eighth career semifinal at the Japan Open.
Fils snapped Shelton's seven-match winning streak in Tokyo, denying the 2023 US Open finalist his bid to become the first man since Pete Sampras (1993-94) to successfully defend Tokyo.
Continuing his quest for his first ATP hard-court title, Hamburg champion Fils will face Holger Rune for a spot in the final.
Earlier, Rune fought off a match point, and overcame a time violation, edging home hero Kei Nishikori 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.
World No. 14 Rune was hit with a time violation staring down match point at 3-5 in the tiebreaker.
Resetting, Rune rapped a serve winner to save match point, sparking a four-game run to topple two-time former champion Nishikori.
“His ball striking and feel on the ball was incredible and it was very challenging for me,” Rune said. “I had to find another gear to be able to beat him and it was almost not enough, but I managed to find that level and find that fighting spirit to beat him.”
In a wildly-entertaining match, Shelton saved two match points when Fils first served for the semifinal at 7-5, 6-5.
Shelton broke back then snatched the second-set tiebreaker.
Credit Fils for continuing to apply pressure with his crackling forehand and forward pressure. Shelton saved 15 of 19 break points in the match.
Applying his first serve-forehand combination effectively, Fils won 60 of 70 first-serve points and beat Shelton to the punch in critical exchanges. Fils fired 55 winners—23 more than Shelton.
Changing shirts before returning to court midway through the final set, Shelton was greeted by a flashy Fils forehand return winner.
No. 8-seeded Shelton slashed four consecutive aces leveling the decider at 4-all.
Serving to force the tiebreaker, Shelton slid a forehand winner down the line to take a dramatic match into a breaker.
Exploiting Shelton's chip return, Fils hit an excellent drop volley winner off a serve-and-volley then blasted an ace for 4-1. Another forehand volley brought Fils match point at 6-2, about 68 minutes after his prior match points. Fils closed a fierce fight on a Shelton backhand error.
Czechia's Tomas Machac won 38 of 43 first-serve points stopping American qualifier Alex Michelsen 7-6(2), 6-3. Machac, who is now 14-1 vs. Americans since the 2023 Miami Open, advanced to his second ATP semifinal. Machac will meet French left-hander Ugo Humbert for a spot in the final.